Final Fantasy 7
by Samantha Vi Tenebris
Summary: Two years after the tragic events in Banora and on the cliff outside of Midgar, Laina Donovan, Cloud Strife and Angelina Pierce finds themselves joining the "AVALANCHE" rebel group within the slums and helped them in taking down the Shinra company. But what they didn't know is that their decision to take down the company acted as a catalyst for saving the Planet from Sephiroth.
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own Final Fantasy 7, it belongs to Square Soft/Enix. I only own my OC characters, Laina and Phemie Donovan, Angelina Pierce, Carter Black, Selwyn Rexley and others within this second fanfic/story of mine, maybe._

 **Chapter 1: Blowing up a reactor**

Under the night sky filled with thousands of bright stars as they shone their pale luminescence light down on the cold, dark and large city of Midgar, a young, fair-skinned woman with emerald-colour eyes, long brown hair tied up with a magenta ribbon (and also with a small pebble size white materia tucked safely inside her magenta ribbon) in a ponytail behind her, an almost round-shaped face and wearing a long sleeveless pink dress with a short red bolero jacket over it, metal bangles on both of her wrists, short brown boots on her legs and holding a small basket with several white and yellow flowers in it was staring down at the small pinpricks of green light/energy floating out of some rusted-looking pipes on the right side of an old, run down shop in LOVELESS avenue within Sector 8. Slowly she stood up before turning to her left and walked out of the alley, away from the old, run down shop toward the street and stopped in her tracks as several vehicles drove past her and she watched as many people roaming/walking around the street before and pass her, each of them minding their own business.

XXXX

Meanwhile at the same time, a train was speeding through the rail tracks in another Sector next to Sector 8 before pulling then stopping in its tracks next to the train station and near one of the mako reactor in Midgar. Two guards in red security uniforms who were standing in silence near the train station glance up at the now silent train without interest, until a stranger named Biggs with short, dark brown hair with a long red cloth tied up around his head, wearing a sleeveless green shirt, dark brown pants and boots jumped down from the top of the train and landed on the platform near one of the two guards, who noticed him and began charging toward Biggs with his assault rifle ready in his hands. But as the guard got near him and right before he could open fire on Biggs, Biggs swiftly grabbed hold of his assault rifle, yanked it away from him and tossed it far away before grabbing him by his collar, flung him over his shoulder and send him crashing on his back down on the platform ground which immediately knocked him out cold.

The other guard saw what happen to the first guard in surprised before recovering his composure and swiftly run forward to help him but got intercepted by another stranger who came out of one of the side doors of the train. The second guard saw that the second stranger was a young woman (named Jessie) with long, light brown hair tied-up in a ponytail, a long black cloth tied-up around her head and wearing a dark grey tank top and long, dark green pants. Before the second guard could react, Jessie drew her hand back (which is now clenching into a fist) and punched him hard on his face before raising her right leg and kicked him hard on his stomach. He fell back from both of her punch and kick with a yell of pain and the back of his head knocked against the wall behind him before he then fell unconscious to the platform ground.

After both Biggs and Jessie knocked out the two security guards, two more strangers run out from two different side doors of the train. The third stranger was a short and plump guy (named Wedge) with short black hair, a plump-looking face and wearing a yellow T-shirt with knee-length black pants. He took a quick look around the train station area for any more securities and when he saw none of them, quickly hurried toward both Jessie and Biggs.

The fourth stranger (named Barret Wallace) who run out of the side door of the train after Wedge was a tall and muscular black guy with short black hair, a strong, serious and fierce look (and also a short beard) on his face, wearing an almost torn-looking dark green shirt with a light brown vest over it and long dark brown pants. And grafted on where his right arm use to be was a large and dangerous-looking gun which he use as a weapon.

After Barret run out of the train, he turn back to the train and raised his gun-arm to give out a signal and two final strangers of their group jumped down from the top of the train and landed on the platform before Barret. The fifth stranger was a rather young and good-looking guy (named Cloud Strife) with short, spiky blonde hair, clear yet cold-looking blue eyes (mako eyes) on his face, wearing a sleeveless black cotton shirt with a curved plate metal on his left shoulder with four blunt spikes jutting out of it, metal bangles on both of his wrists, a long and slightly black baggy pants with black boots on his legs and a huge yet powerful-looking sword with two slot-holes on it strapped to his back. The sixth stranger behind Cloud was another young woman (named Angelina Pierce) with long, brown hair down her back, violet-coloured eyes on her pretty face and wearing the same black outfit as Cloud with a long black and silver-coloured naginata strapped to her back.

"Come on, you two newcomers." said Barret in a curt tone to them both. "Follow me." He turned around and without waiting for them both, took off after Biggs, Wedge and Jessie who already took off across the platform ground (while ignoring the two unconscious security guards) and through an open door on the side of the train station seconds ago.

Angelina sighed and crossed her arms while Cloud stared at Barret's back with an annoyed look on his face before he turned his head to stared at Angelina who stared back at him with a small smile on her face. They then began to run across the platform after Barret and the others but before they could went through the door, two more security guards in blue uniforms and carrying the same assault rifles weapons as the two unconscious security guards lying down on the platform ground near them came out of the same door, saw them both and began charging toward them. Both Cloud and Angelina waited until the two guards are close enough before they both reached for their weapons behind their backs, pull it out and swung their weapons on them which destroy their assault rifles and causes slash wounds to appear on their body. Both of the security guards fell to the platform ground and Cloud and Angelina quickly put their weapons back behind them and went past them through the door to the alleys beyond and caught up with Biggs, Wedge and Jessie.

After they caught up to them, both Cloud and Angelina see that Jessie was kneeling down on the ground before a metal door and trying to cracked it open by typing furiously on a small, black-coloured laptop on the ground before her while both Biggs and Wedge were standing on her left and right, looking out for any signs of soldiers who might come to stopped them and they also noticed that Barret was nowhere to be seen. When Biggs saw them both coming, he began talking to them.

"Wow! You two weren't kidding when you two say that you two and her used to be in SOLDIER, all right…" said Biggs with awed in his voice. "Not every day you'll find them within a group like "AVALANCHE"."

"SOLDIER?" exclaimed Jessie with an alarmed look on her face and fear in her voice and she stopped her typing to look up at Biggs then at them. "Aren't they our enemy? What the heck are these two doing with us in AVALANCHE?"

"Woah, hold it, Jessie." said Biggs as he hold out his hands to try to held/calm her down when she attempt to stand up and attack them both. "They both WERE in SOLDIER. They and the other woman named Laina Donovan Fair quit SOLDIER and left and now they're part of our group."

Jessie looked at them both suspiciously for a few seconds until she sighed and nodded at Biggs before kneeling back down and continue her typing. Biggs smiled down at her then turned to looked at them again. "Didn't catch both your names." Biggs asked them.

"…Cloud Strife." Cloud answered coldly (and with an indifferent look) to Biggs.

"Angelina Pierce." Angelina answered politely to him.

Biggs nodded his head. "Cloud and Angelina, huh? I'm…"

Cloud shook his head and cut Biggs words off. "I don't care what your names are. Once this job's over, I'm outta here." said Cloud coldly.

"Cloud, don't be so rude!" said Angelina as she gave him a disapproving look. "What would Laina say if she were here and saw you acting/saying this rudely to him?" Cloud didn't say anything to her and turn to look away from her which make her sighed before she look at Biggs and apologized to him for Cloud's behavior. Biggs nodded and he turned to look back down at Jessie (who's still typing away) and soon Barret show up from another side alley door to their left and came to a stop next to Wedge. He glance at all five of them before a look of anger crossed his face.

"The hell you all doin!? I thought I told you all never to move in a group!" Barret yelled angrily at them and Biggs, Wedge and Jessie flinched slightly from his angry yell while both Cloud and Angelina just stared at them and Barret in silence. Barret then closed his eyes and take a breath to calm himself down before turning to glance at the closed metal door before Jessie. "Our target's the North Mako Reactor," he informed them sternly. "We'll meet on the bridge in front of it."

Soon after he finish his words, the metal door which Jessie try to cracked open with her laptop finally open fully and Biggs, Wedge and Jessie (who stood up and put her laptop back into her laptop-size pants pocket) all hurry and ran through the opened door. Barret watched them run through the door and followed them but before he went through the door, he turned back to look at both Cloud and Angelina with looks of disgust and anger on his face.

"Ex-SOLDIERS, huh?" said Barret in anger as he stared at the both of them. "Don't trust ya both!" he finished talking, turned around and run ahead without waiting for them again. Angelina sighed and shake her head at Barret's angry words to her and Cloud while Cloud himself raised his head and glance up at the large, cylindrical shape of the mako reactor with the logo of Shinra on it for a moment before he exchange glances with Angelina and they both ran through the door after Barret and the others. They both run silently through several dark maze-like alleyways filled with crates and chemical containers (and fortunately encounter no security guards while running through the maze-like alleyways) until they reached a T-junction bridge and saw several knocked out security guards lying on the ground of the bridge (no doubt knocked out by Barret and the others) and Wedge himself as he stand guard at their far off left door exit. Wedge saw them and tilted his head to the left to tell them to go on ahead and they both did. They run and turned left, went through another door into the reactor building and they saw Barret, Biggs and Jessie inside and standing before another sealed-up door. Jessie immediately kneel down and pull out her laptop device to begin typing to open the door while Biggs look around the area for any security guards.

"Yo, this your first time in a reactor?" Barret asked Cloud and Angelina curtly without looking at them as he waited for Jessie to open the door.

Cloud snorted and Angelina rolled her eyes at Barret's question. "No." replied Cloud coldly. "After all, we did work for Shinra, y'know."

"The planet's full of mako energy." Barret told them both with a scowl on his face. "People who live here in Midgar use it every day."

Angelina shrugged her shoulder dismissively and Barret noticed it and glared at her angrily. "It's the life blood of this planet, but Shinra keeps sucking it's blood out with these damn machines!" Barret said out loud to them while waving his arms around angrily.

Cloud sighed and shook his head at Barret. "Look, we're not here for your lectures. So let's just hurry and get it done already."

Barret glared darkly at Cloud and pointed a furious finger at him. "That's it! You two are coming with me from now on!"

"Fine, whatever." said Angelina as she shrugged her shoulder again. Soon Jessie deciphered the code on the sealed door and it opened and both Biggs and Jessie run through the door with Cloud, Angelina and Barret following behind them. She then kneel down and began typing on her laptop to opened up yet another sealed door and quickly run through it once she's done typing and went into a small, enclosed elevator. Cloud, Angelina and Barret soon went in after her and the elevator door closed behind them. Jessie then told Cloud to push the "Down" button at the other end of the elevator and he did. He went toward the button and pressed it and they felt the elevator began to jerk before slowly going down to the depths of the reactor building. As the elevator descends, Barret stomped his way to the far end of the elevator and leaned his back silently against the wall while Cloud went and stood next to Angelina, who's also leaning her back against the wall far from Barret. After a few seconds, Barret decided to continue his lectures to them.

"Little by little, all the reactors'll drained out all o' the Planet's life, and that'll be that."

Both Cloud and Angelina gave him blank looks and shrugged their shoulders at him.

"Don't you two get it? The Planet's dying!" said Barret out loud in a shocked tone to them.

"That's not our problem. All I care about is finishing the mission before send in any more soldiers, securities or robots at us." replied Cloud flatly.

"If those people working in and for Shinra want to keep on killing the planet with their mako reactors then let them do so. Like Cloud just said, it's not our problem." Angelina added slightly coldly to Barret.

Barret gritted his teeth, his face and eyes livid with anger and he turned away from them both, clenching his hand into a fist and shaking it in anger. He was very tempted to knocked some sense into them both but refrained himself from doing so due to the fact that they and the other woman (who's not with them now) are Ex-member of SOLDIERS and possibly had some useful inside-information of . So he swallowed his anger at them and refused to even look at them both. After a short while, the elevator finally came to a halt on the level below and when the door parted open, Jessie quickly hurried out of the elevator with Cloud and Angelina following behind her and Barret following closely behind them just so that he could keep an eye on them in case they do something funny.

Once they came out of the elevator, they saw that they're standing on a balcony overlooking the pale green light of the mako energy that's pooling around the base of the reactor with a large metal structure in the middle of the area and several large round, almost rusted-looking pipes all around the area, going into/through the walls/floors of the area and pumping power/mako throughout the entire reactor facility. Before them is a set of metallic stairs which wound their way down the side of the metal structure and Jessie, Cloud, Angelina and Barret hurriedly went down the stairs, through a door at the bottom of the stairs into another room, jumped over a hole and going across the grids about twenty meters above the ground (here Jessie stand guard and told them to go on ahead), climb down two ladders toward some pipes below and they all slide down it then run across some bulky, spherical-looking pipes which crossed over the ceilings above the ground, climbing down another ladder until they finally reached the level where the inner reactor is located.

Once the three of them got off the ladder, they then went down the long, straight walkway towards the reactor which lay in front of them, with faded, burnt writings scrawled over its surface. Along the way, both Cloud and Angelina noticed a single, light green materia (Restore materia) lying on the walkway ground and Cloud bend down to picked it up. He look at it for a moment before handing it to Angelina, who also look down at the materia in his hand then at him and mouthed "thank you" to him before taking the materia from him with a small smile on her face. Barret grumbled darkly at them before pushing his way pass them toward the valve on the reactor.

"When we blow this place up, it ain't gonna be more than a hunka junk!" said Barret to them before he turned around and pointed a finger at Cloud. "Cloud, you set the bomb!"

Angelina raised an eyebrow at him. "Why? Shouldn't you do it, Barret?"

"Shut up, woman! And you just do it already, Cloud!" Barret yelled angrily at them both while waving his arms in the air around him. "I gotta watch to make sure that either of you don't pull nothin'!"

"Fine. Whatever, man." Cloud muttered darkly at Barret and took the explosive device from Barret who held it out to him then took a step forward and was about to kneel down to set it on when he stopped suddenly. A kind of coldness seeped into his veins and body, numbing it beyond control at the same time a sharp, piercing whistle began to ring in Angelina's ears which make her winced and close her eyes and send both of their now aching minds into hazy thoughts.

" _Watch out!"_ said a man's voice which they both didn't recognize out loud to them in their minds. " _This isn't just a normal reactor!"_

The voice of the unknown man, the sharp whistling and the coldness soon faded from both Angelina's ears and Cloud's body and Angelina let out a deep, relieved breath while Cloud himself stepped back from the reactor in surprised and shake his head to get rid of the peculiar feeling he had just experienced before turning to look at Angelina.

"Hey, are you alright, Angie?" Cloud asked her in a worry tone.

"Yeah, I'm alright, Cloud." replied Angelina.

"What's wrong with you two now?" Barret demanded impatiently at them.

"Huh?" said both Cloud and Angelina as they looked over at him only to see him glaring at them.

"What's wrong with you two? Just hurry up already!" Barret ordered Cloud in an annoyed tone and they quickly apologized to him before Cloud took a step toward the reactor and kneel down again to placed the bomb against the wall of the reactor within its deepest crevice where no one could easily spotted it and disarm it before it could go off. Cloud then set the countdown time to twenty minutes, giving them enough time to escape from the reactor, but right after he set the time on the bomb, a loud alarm went off from somewhere and a red light began to shine within the reactor area they're now in. They then heard the sound of large, metallic footsteps began to approach them rapidly from above and Cloud quickly stood up and pull out his large sword from behind him while Angelina pull out her long naginata and Barret raised his gun-arm, all of them ready to faced whatever robot now coming their way.

"Heads up, you two!" Barret shouted to them both. "Here they come!"

Soon the robot appear, crouch and jumped down from above them and landed on the walkway to faced them (and rendering them unable to escape through it due to its massive size) and they saw that the robot is a huge red scorpion-like robot (named Guard Scorpion) with two bulky sub-machine gun-arms, a metallic chest bearing a red searchlight to search for intruders/enemies, six metallic legs and a huge, long tail with a laser at the spiky tip of the tail swaying left and right behind it.

"Watch out for its tail, Barret!" Cloud told him out loud.

"If you hit it, it'll counter back at you with its laser beam! That's what Laina told us back when we were in SOLDIER!" Angelina added to Barret and he nodded grimly while glaring at them.

The Guard Scorpion began flashing its searchlight to find them so it could fired its laser beam attack on them but Barret won't have it as he raised his gun-arm, aimed it at the Guard Scorpion's searchlight and firing a torrent of bullets at it. The bullets hit the Guard Scorpion's searchlight and its hard-plated surface, penetrated through its metal into its inner circuitry which causes it to shuddered and fell to its knees but soon it pushes itself up, cocked and pointed both its sub-machine gun-arms at them and began firing bullets at them. Barret jumped back to dodge the torrent of bullets (while both Cloud and Angelina dodged to the side of the walkway to avoid its bullets) and found himself with his back to the reactor and he saw that the Guard Scorpion quickly halted in its shooting so as not to risked in destroying the reactor with him so near it. The Guard Scorpion hesitated for a second then turn its attention toward the two other nearby available targets, Cloud and Angelina.

Both Cloud and Angelina saw that it had turn its attention on them both and they lifted their sword and naginata to prepared themselves. The Guard Scorpion raised its gun-arms and fired several bullets at them and they both dodged the bullets from it before Cloud broke into a sprint toward it while raised and swung his sword down and he cut off three of its right legs. It fell down on the walkway with a robotic screech and Angelina quickly run forward to it, raised her naginata and swung it down to cut off the Guard Scorpion's remaining three left legs which make it screech again. Right after the Guard Scorpion loses all its legs and fell down on the walkway, Cloud, Angelina and Barret quickly finish it off by casting multiple thunder/ blizzard magic and using their Braver, Vile Strike and Big Shot limit breaks on it. Soon bullet holes and traces of magic/limit breaks which they inflicted on it appear on the Guard Scorpion's body and it began to shake and sizzle with electricity before the light/electricity from its body began to dimmed down and disappear. Barret approach the now defeated Guard Scorpion warily and with a look of anger on his face before he kicked the robot angrily with his foot, not minding the continuous sound of the loud alarm for a second.

"Come on, let's all get outta here now!" said Cloud as he looked at both Angelina and Barret and they both nodded back to him before they quickly clambered over the Guard Scorpion and backtrack the way they came from, back to the exit of the inner reactor. As they swiftly climbed up the ladder and reached the top, Barret quickly left them behind and ran for the next ladder to head out and Cloud was about to follow suit after him when out of the corner of his eye he saw Angelina run to the left of the metal grid they're standing on and began to help Jessie, who had both of her legs stuck on a long, heavy piece of metal grate.

"Cloud, help me lifted this thing!" Angelina called back to him and he quickly run over to help her get the metal grate off of Jessie's legs.

"Thanks, you two." Jessie thanked them both after they get the metal grate off of her legs and she stood up before they turned and quickly make their way out of the reactor building after Barret, who's no doubt already out of the area and headed up to where the elevator is. The three of them eventually made it into the elevator where Barret's waiting for them (here Angelina scolded him slightly for not helping Jessie earlier which make him even more mad at her) and Jessie quickly ran straight to the buttons on the wall in the elevator and pressed the "Up" button and the elevator door closed and the lift began to bring them all up. Both Jessie and Barret were waiting impatiently/anxiously (while Cloud and Angelina just stared at them) for the elevator to arrived at the top and when it did and the door opened, they quickly headed out of the elevator onto the room where they could see Biggs waiting for them near the door who's sealed up again once the alarm went off. Jessie quickly went to deciphered the code on it to open it and when it opened, they quickly went through it to the other sealed up door and Jessie did the same on the door and it opened and they quickly run through it, out of the room and back onto the T-junction bridge where Wedge is waiting anxiously for all five of them near the far off left side exit door to their left.

When Wedge saw them came out of the reactor room, he sighed in relieved before turning and kicking open the door and run through it, leaving it open for them. Both Barret and Biggs run through the door after Wedge but halfway across the T-junction bridge, Jessie suddenly fell down on the bridge and Angelina quickly helped her up and she, along with Jessie and Cloud quickly run through the door and closed it behind them.

Soon after they closed the exit door behind them, massive amount of electricity began to emanated from the reactor before it exploded, then another huge explosion soon occurred as the mako reactor was blasted apart and the people who live in the sector near where the reactor is, could see a huge, reddish/yellowish ball of flame appear in the night sky, followed by a huge cloud of smoke and parts of the mako reactor debris landed on the sector and on the slums below.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Heading to Sector 7 slums**

Once the explosion calmed down, Cloud, Angelina and the four members of AVALANCHE were now standing in a corridor, still within the building of the outer reactor after they run away from the inner reactor room. The sheer force of the explosion has caused a large chunk of concrete to break apart from the ceiling and fell down on the exit of the corridor, blocking their path. Jessie immediately went and kneel down before the large chunk of concrete and is now busy in encoding the smaller, less destructive bomb (which she pull out of her right pants pocket) near the concrete wreckage while the others watched and waited in silence for her to finish her job, contemplating/thinking over the acts which they had just done.

"What we just did to one of the mako reactor in Midgar just now should keep the Planet going." Biggs said suddenly to them and they all looked at him. "At least for a little longer."

"Yeah, you're right." said Wedge with an enthusiastic nod.

Barret stared at Biggs for a while then crossed his arms and looked down to the ground in silence and Angelina watched as Cloud leaned his back against the corridor wall next to her and he gave Barret a darting glance. She followed suit and glance at Barret and saw that he had a smile of relief on his face, without any ounce of regret in it. Both she and Cloud now know that blowing up the mako reactor back there would have caused problems for Shinra company and that's what make Barret smiled in relieved now.

"Okay. Now, everyone get back!" Jessie told them as she stood up and they all quickly scrambled and ran back to the corridor, crouch down and hide behind some of the other multiple smaller, fallen concrete debris away from Jessie's bomb. Seconds later the bomb exploded and blasted the huge chunk of concrete which blocked their way outward and away from the exit of the outer reactor corridor but at the same time created a blazing circle of scorching flame around the exit door so the only way for them to get out was to jumped through the door of flames. Both Cloud and Angelina was the first two people to jumped through and out of the flaming door and they quickly put out any flames which may have caught on their clothes before they turned back to the door. Barret was the next one who jumped out after them, then Biggs, Jessie and finally Wedge, who ran slightly in a panic around them while trying to put out the flame which slightly burn his pants until it's gone (and which make Angelina chuckled under her breath a little).

"All right, now let's all get out of here!" said Barret suddenly to them. "Everyone, rendezvous at Sector 8 station! So split up and get on the train!"

Biggs, Wedge and Jessie nodded to him before all three of them split up and ran off in different directions toward Sector 8. Barret watched and waited until they're out of sight before he began to run too.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Angelina protested suddenly to Barret and he halted in his tracks and turned back to glared at her.

"What about our money?" Cloud asked him and Barret switched his glance from Angelina to Cloud, his glaring deepen.

"Save it 'til we're all back in our hideout, you two!" replied Barret harshly to them before he turned and quickly run off up the stairs against the wall to their right before the both of them could voice their protest again. Both Cloud and Angelina exchange glances for a while before they quickly run up the same stairs which Barret run up a few seconds ago, toward Sector 8.

Once both Cloud and Angelina arrived in Sector 8, they could see the aftermath of what they had done. Just as they expected, there was now complete chaos/discord in "LOVELESS" avenue within Sector 8. Pieces of metallic/concrete wreckages from the blown-up mako reactor lay scattered everywhere and destroyed some of the shops in the avenue, like the theater who usually showed the four plays of "Loveless" and the Goblin Bar where people went in for foods and drinks. They also saw that the people who lived in Sector 8 were now running around the Sector in a panic and some of them were crying out to others, demanding to know what was going on, why the mako reactor blow up and who's the one who would dare blow it up.

As Cloud and Angelina watched the now destroy state of the avenue and the people who's running around the avenue in silence, they soon noticed a lone yet beautiful woman with emerald-coloured eyes, wearing a pink dress with a short red jacket over it, her long, waist-length brown hair tie up with a magenta ribbon into a ponytail behind her back, short brown boots on her legs, metal bangles on both of her wrists and carrying a small basket on her arms with some white and yellow flower in it was standing next to the ruined theater and looking around calmly yet with a look of bewilderment in her green eyes at the chaos and the panicking people around her. With their attention now on the lone woman, both Cloud and Angelina failed to noticed a panicking man running straight toward the woman and knocked her to the ground before running away past her. Angelina widened her eyes slightly at what she just saw then gave a glare at the back of the running man before she and Cloud approach the woman and helped her up.

"Are you alright?" Angelina asked the woman.

"Yes, I'm fine." answered the woman in a delicate/soft voice while she brushed off some dust/dirt from her pink dress. "Thank you for your help." The woman then decided to ask them both a question.

"Um, excuse me but do you two know what happened?"

"No, we don't. Sorry." answered Cloud quickly as both he and Angelina shifted their gazes away from the woman and then they glance down at the white and yellow flowers within the small basket which she carry on her arm.

"Don't see many flowers around here." said Cloud to the woman.

"Oh, these flowers?" said the woman with a smile on her face and she glance down at the basket of flowers she carried. "Do you like them? They're only a gil each…"

" _Only a gil each, huh?_ " thought Cloud to himself before he reached into his pants pocket, pulled out two gold coins and hand them over to the woman.

"Oh, thank you!" said the woman with a grateful smile at him as she take the coins, put them into her pocket before pulling out two white flowers from her basket and gave them to Cloud. After Cloud took the flowers, the woman bade them both goodbye and walked away from them. Both Cloud and Angelina turned and watched the woman kept on walking away from them until she's out of their sight before Angelina felt Cloud tapping her shoulder, turned to him and saw him holding out one of the white flower to her.

"W-What?" said Angelina in surprised at she stared at the flower then at Cloud.

"This is… for you, Angie. If you don't mind, that is." Cloud told her with a light blush on his face. Angelina continue staring at him in surprised for a few seconds then smiled, took the flower from him and place it on her ear, near the side of her face.

"Thanks, Cloud. That was sweet of you." replied Angelina to him.

Cloud shrugged his shoulder lightly and gave her a small smile before the both of them quickly turned and began heading toward the Sector 8 station, away from the ruined "Loveless" avenue and it's running/panicking people. They swiftly walked past some people who's too busy in their own musings and a large water fountain caked with dust and slight grime, into an alley in between two building and they were about to walk out of the alley toward the station when an angry male voice suddenly called out to them both from behind. Both Cloud and Angelina tensed and look over their shoulders to see two securities in blue Shinra uniforms walking toward them both with assault rifles in their hands.

"Shinra securities!" Cloud cursed out, grabbed hold of Angelina's hand and they quickly run out of the alley away from them, turned to the right and they skidded to a halt when they saw three more Shinra securities blocking their way before them. Quickly they backed away from them, turned around and began to run to their left and they both cursed out in unison when they saw yet another pair of Shinra securities blocking their way as well. Soon both Cloud and Angelina found themselves surrounded by seven Shinra securities in a semi-circle, each of them armed with assault rifles in their hands and with nowhere left for them both to run, they slowly backed away from the securities toward the edge of the bridge which overlooks the railway below it.

"That's as far as the two of you go." one of the securities said in a smug tone to Cloud and Angelina and they watched as each of the securities slowly raises their assault rifles, ready to open fire on them in case they attempt to escape. Suddenly both Cloud and Angelina heard the screech sound of a train whistle close by below them and felt the faint rumbling of the bridge below their feet.

"Sorry, but we don't have time to be messin' around with you guys!" Cloud said to them in a defiant tone before he grabbed Angelina close to him, lifted her bridal-style (which make her yelped a little), turned around and stepped onto the edge of the bridge.

"Cloud, what are you doing?" demanded Angelina to him in a worry tone.

"Just trust me, Angie! I've an idea!" replied Cloud.

"Enough babbling! Grab them both now!" commanded the security who spoke smugly to them seconds ago to his fellow securities and they began to advance on them both just as the sound of the train whistle came again, louder and much nearer this time, followed closely by more rumbling from below Cloud's feet. Cloud looked down, saw the train finally appear from below them and quickly jumped down from the edge of the bridge with Angelina and landed safely on the top of the train as it speeds into the tunnel ahead, carrying them with it. As for Angelina, she let out a scream of fear when Cloud suddenly jumped away from the edge while carrying her, quickly closed her eyes and clung to him tightly. After a while, she heard him chuckling near her, opened her violet-coloured eyes to see that they had landed safely on top of the train, quickly pulled herself away from him then reprimanded him for doing something this reckless/dangerous without telling her first and gave his shoulder a hard, stinging slap (which make him winced and he apologized to her) before they slowly turned and walked carefully across the top of the train toward where the AVALANCHE group were.

XXXX

Meanwhile, the other four members of AVALANCHE were all inside the cargo hold in the back of the train which is heading toward the slums in Sector 7. They waited for both Cloud and Angelina as long as they could until the train was about to leave and they quickly boarded on it before it could leave them standing stuck at the station and get caught by the Shinra securities/soldiers who's roaming/patrolling Sector 8 in search of them. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were all quiet and had somber looks on their faces (each of them imagining the worst that could happened to both Cloud and Angelina now) while Barret had a frown on his face.

"Cloud and Angelina, they never came." Wedge said quietly to the others.

"Cloud, Angelina…" muttered Biggs with a concerned look on his face before he glance at Barret. "Wonder if they got captured or…killed by them?"

"No freaking way!" Barret snapped irritably at Biggs before turning his face to look down on the cargo hold floor with his arms crossed.

"Cloud...Angelina…" whispered Jessie with a heavy sigh to herself.

Just then the sound of a muffled _thump_ sounded from the ceiling of the cargo hold above them and all four of them quickly glance up at the ceiling and its steel racks which rattled above them. When they heard nothing more, all of them turned their gazes back down onto the floor, their slightly anxious expressions reverted back to sorrow/concern/frowning expressions.

"Say, Barret. Do you think that either Cloud… or Angelina or that Laina Donovan woman will fight with us to the end for AVALANCHE?" Biggs asked in a slightly hopeful tone to Barret as he glance at him.

"The hell would I know? Do I look like a freaking mind-reader to you?" Barret glared at Biggs while snapping angrily at him then unfolded one of his arms (not the one with the gun) and banged his fist on an unfortunate crate next to him. "Hmph! If you'all weren't such screw-ups…"

"Hey, Barret." said Wedge as he glance at him. "What about our money?"

Barret responded by banging his fist on the crate again and Wedge flinched before looking down on the floor again. "Uh, nothin'… Sorry." whispered Wedge.

Gradually they all lapsed back in silence as they listen to the sound of the train speeding rapidly on the railway tracks while thinking once more about what could have befell Cloud and Angelina. At that moment, a loud knocking sound suddenly sounded throughout the cargo hold and the four of them look up at each other then looked down again. The knocking sound came again, this time from outside the door of the cargo hold and this time the four members of AVALANCHE choose to ignored the sound and continue staring down at the floor. Finally the cargo hold door opened up to show the tunnel which speed past the train and two figures suddenly flipped/jumped into the cargo hold and landed with a thud in front of Barret and the others, who all jumped up in surprised.

"Cloud, Angelina!" exclaimed Biggs, Wedge and Jessie in relieved unison.

Angelina gave each of them a smile before she and Cloud slowly stood up from their crouch and brushed off some layers of black soot which gathered on their clothes when they walked across the top of the train, trying to find the cargo hold where the other AVALANCHE members were seconds ago. Once Angelina and Cloud finished brushing off the black soot from their clothes, Cloud flicked his spiky blonde hair behind him and then looked around at all of the relieved faces of the AVALANCHE members (except for Barret).

"Looks like we're a little late." said Cloud plainly to them.

"You damn right, you two are late!" Barret growled angrily at them. "Come waltzin' in here and making a big scene!"

"Come on, it's no big deal. It's what we always do." replied Angelina with a scowl on her face while Cloud shrugged his shoulder.

"Shit!" Barret cursed loudly at them. "Having everyone worried about you two like that, you two don't give a damn 'bout no one but yourselves!"

Cloud shrugged his shoulder again while Angelina glared at Barret for saying those words to the both of them before a smirk appeared on her face.

"Hmm, what's this? You were worried about us?" said Angelina tauntingly to Barret.

"What!" Barret yelled in anger as he glared at Angelina, waving his arms around him and getting very tempted to raise his hand to strike her and Cloud there and then but he kept quiet and managed to calm himself down. "That's it! I'm taking it out of your money, you two!" Barret told them both in anger before he turned quickly and went toward the door which leads into the next train car.

"Wake up, all of you! We're movin' out! Follow me!" Barrett told them again before he opened the door to the next train car and went through it, leaving it open for the others. Wedge then pushed himself up off the floor and turned to look at both Cloud and Angelina.

"Hey, Cloud, Angelina! You two were great back there!" said Wedge to them before he turned and went through the door. Once he's gone, Biggs walked up to them.

"Heh, heh… Cloud, Angelina! We'll do even better next time." Biggs told them while scratching the back of his head with his hand, turned and went through the door.

"Be careful, you two." said Jessie's voice from behind them and they both turned around to see that Jessie had approach them while Wedge and Biggs were talking to them and standing near the open door of the cargo hold, where they could still see the tunnel speeding past the train. "I'll shut this door now."

Both Cloud and Angelina watched as Jessie pulled on the lever that released the door and swiftly pushed it shut. When she's done, she turned to look at them up and down carefully before bursting into chuckles.

"What is it?" Cloud asked, confused.

"It's your face, Cloud!" Jessie told him in between her chuckles. "It's pitch-black!"

When Angelina heard what Jessie said and look at Cloud's face, she quickly pull out a handkerchief from her pants pocket, went in front of Cloud and wiped away most of the black soot smeared on his face before he could react (while trying hard not to chuckle loudly herself).

"There, all done, Cloud." Angelina told him with a smile on her face and tossed away the now dirty handkerchief on the ground.

"Thanks, Angie." replied Cloud.

Jessie looked at both of them for a second before walking past them toward the opened door. But before she went through it, she hesitated then turned around to them with a small smile on her face. "Say, thanks for helping me back there in the reactor, Cloud, Angelina."

Once she told them what she wanted to say, she turned and went through the door into the next train car, leaving them both behind in the cargo hold. Cloud and Angelina exchange glances for a moment before they nodded to each other then went through the door after the others. Within the next train carriage was two strangely dressed hooligans standing at the far end near the left side door, a lone man wearing a posh-looking red suit holding onto the rail with a green-tinted sickened look on his face and a few homeless people in drag outfits lying down on the chairs with nothing to do and nowhere to go. It was quiet in the carriage until they heard a computerized female voice speaking out to them from a speaker somewhere.

" _Last train out of Sector 8 station. Next stop is Sector 7, Train Graveyard. Expected time of arrival is 12:23 am, Midgar Standard time…"_

As the computerized voice droned on, the door at the far end of the train carriage opened abruptly and all four members of AVALANCHE plus Cloud and Angelina came storming in through the door. The two hooligans who saw them coming widened their eyes in fear before turning around and leaving the carriage. Barret ignored the people within the carriage and quickly sat himself down on an empty seat before propping his feet up and spread both of his arms up on the top of the chair, near the window in an arrogant manner while Biggs, Wedge and Jessie run past Barret and stopped at the center of the train carriage, their fists clenched tightly and ready for any challenge, minor or otherwise. The sickened man in his posh-looking red suit saw their clenched fists and quickly get himself away from the rail he's clinging to and went to the next carriage, away from them. After the two hooligans and the lone man left the carriage into the next one, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie immediately take their vacant spots while Cloud and Angelina just stared at them for a while before they quickly walked down the aisle past Barret, who suddenly reached out and grabbed both of their arms before pulling them close to him so that he could whisper some harsh words into their ears.

"Stop acting like a bunch of damn kids, you two!" Barret whisper to them harshly. "Si'down and shu'up!"

"Why don't you shut up and let go of our arms now?" Angelina whisper harshly back to him before she and Cloud yanked their arms away from Barret's grip and they continued down the aisle toward Biggs, Wedge and Jessie, ignoring Barret who's glaring darkly at their backs now. As Cloud and Angelina approach them, Wedge noticed them and suddenly turned to faced them both with a slightly nervous look on his face.

"Hey, Cloud, Angelina! Someday, AVALANCHE is gonna be famous - and me, too!" said Wedge excitedly to them before he then turned away from them and Jessie turned to them now.

"Hey, Cloud, Angelina, you two want to have a look at this with me?" Jessie asked them both. "It's a map of the "Midgar Rail System". Let's all look at it together while I explain it to you both."

"Uh, why exactly?" Angelina asked her.

"Why? It's because I like this kinda stuff, Angelina." replied Jessie as she scratch the back of her head. "Bombs and monitors… you know, the flashy stuffs."

Cloud and Angelina then walked up next to her (after she told Wedge to make some room for them to watched) and Jessie then showed them both the blank computer screen before her.

"Okay, it's about to start soon." Jessie told them after she pressed a button below the screen and a 3D green graphic image of Midgar appeared. It showed them the entire circular shape of the city, as well as its top eight plates and underground slums.

"This is a complete model of the city of Midgar." Jessie explained to them. "It's about a 1/10000 scales. The top plate is about 50 meters above the ground. A main support structure holds the plate up in the center and there're other support structures build in each section..."

Jessie stopped mid-sentence and suddenly leaned in close to them and whispered quietly into their ears.

"The No.1 reactor we blew up was in the northern section. Then there's No.2, No.3 all the way to No.8 mako reactor. All eight reactors provided Midgar with electricity. Each town used to have a name but now no one in Midagr remembers them. So instead of names, we refer to them as numbered reactors, that's the kind of place this is now." Jessie sighed and looked away for a while before turning back to the screen. "Phew, this is next, both of you. Look."

The screen in front of them then change to showed a new image of the city and the screen zoomed in on a particular part of the 3D graphic image, specifically the part where the route of the train was travelling through from one sector to another, with white dots on the image.

"This is the route the train is on." Jessie continued while indicating the white dots on the image to Cloud and Angelina. "The route spirals about the main support structure so we should be coming around the centre area, right about now. At each checkpoint, an ID sensor device is set up so that it can checked the identities and backgrounds of each and every passengers on the train by linking it up to the central data bank inside Shinra headquarters."

Jessie then leaned in once more to whisper into their ears.

"Anyone could tell that we look suspicious, so we're using fake ID's." Soon after Jessie told them both, a bright red alarm followed by a beeping noise sounded throughout the carriage they're now on and both Cloud and Angelina jumped a little before their looked up at the red alarm light which's now swept over everyone and everything in it. Jessie chuckled when she saw their surprised looks and placed her hands on their shoulders to reassured them.

"Don't worry, you two." Jessie told them both. "That red alarm light means that we're now in the ID security check area. When the lights go off, you'll never know what kind of hooligans/creeps'll come crawling out. Anyway, we're almost back now and that's a relief…" Jessie stopped talking for a moment as she place her hand under her chin, closed her eyes and pondering hard about something before she opened her eyes and clicked her fingers. "I know! Why don't next time I'll give you two the ones I made myself?"

"What? Are you sure about that, Jessie?" said Angelina.

"Definitely, Angelina!" replied Jessie.

"Alright, then. We'll be looking forward to it." said Cloud.

"Really? Okay then! I'll put in a little extra effort and make it with a BANG!" said Jessie excitedly, getting a little fired up at the thought of making ID's for Cloud and Angelina before turning from them back to computer before her with an eager/excited look still on her face. Cloud shook his head and shrug his shoulder while Angelina chuckled a little at Jessie's antics before they turned and walked back toward Barret, who's now looking out and up through the train window.

"Look at that, you two. You can see the surface now." Barret said to them solemnly. "This damn city don't have no day or night. If that plate weren't there, we could see the sky."

Cloud and Angelina then leaned over to looked out of the window next to Barret and they could see the various metallic beams which criss-crossed above them and beyond that was a large, dark greyish-black metal which was the surface of Midgar, where the upper part of the city were with it's richer, pompous, selfish and arrogant citizens lived and where they could see the sky everyday, unlike the unfortunate people who dwelled/lived in the slums.

"A floating city…" Cloud whispered quietly next to Angelina. "Quite an unsettling scenery, isn't it, Angie?"

"Very unsettling, Cloud." replied Angelina as she continued gazing up at the dark grayish-black plate with a scowl on her face.

"Huh?" said Barret as he turned his head to look at them both in surprised. "Never expect to hear those words coming out of you two. You two jes' full of surprises." Barret then stood up from his seat and went over to Biggs, Wedge and Jessie. "The upper part and it's citizens, it's cause of that big &%# pizza that people living below it and outside of it are suffering! And the slums below's full of polluted air, garbages and junks! And not only that, the reactors above kept on drainin' up all of the Planet's energy!"

Cloud pushed himself away from the window and turned to looked at Barret. "Then why doesn't everyone who lived below move up to the plate?" Cloud asked him.

Barret shrugged his shoulder. "Dunno. Probably cause they ain't got any money. Or maybe… cause they loved/cherish their land, no matter how polluted it gets."

"That might be true." said Angelina without looking at them both. "No one lives in the slums because they want to. They're just like this train in a certain way, it can't go anywhere except where its rails take it."

Angelina then looked away from the window to Cloud (who gave her a nod) and Barret (who gave her a light glare again) and both she and Cloud then move away from the window and Barret and they sat down on some vacant chairs near Wedge and Jessie before they all lapsed into silence. The train continued on its rail tracks quickly around the main support structure of Midgar city before spinning off and down toward Sector 7 slums. Soon the train pulled slowly into the Sector 7 station and stopped before opening its doors for its passengers. The two hooligans and the man in his posh-looking red suit who got frightened by Barret and the others when they charge into the carriage they're in an hour ago during the train ride quickly got off the train then headed off toward their homes. The members of AVALANCHE were the second last ones to leave the train (obviously) and try to look/act natural as they got off while constantly casting looks of wary/caution around them for any Shinra enemy. Barret, Cloud and Angelina were the last to get off after them before Barret gave each of them looks of anger.

"Yo! Get over here, all'ya!" Barret ordered sharply to them all and all at once the three members of AVALANCHE, including Cloud and Angelina, gathered around him in a semi-circle pattern.

"The mission was a success but don't any of you get lazy now!" Barret warned them sternly. "The hard part's still to come! So don't y'all be scared of that explosion! Cause the next one's gonna be bigger than that!"

Barret stopped his words for a second then turned and run off a little away from the others before turning back to faced them.

"Split up and meet back at the hideout! Move out now!" Barret told them and instantly all of them split up and took off in different directions away from the train station towards the slums, using the same tactic they use back at the reactor exit near Loveless avenue in Sector 8. Cloud and Angelina waited until they disappear from their views before going after them toward their next destination.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Seventh Heaven**

As Cloud and Angelina left the train station and went into the Sector 7 slums, they soon saw that the slums were in a very bad condition. The ground was yellow in colour with thick dirt which had been flattened down into a ground form, the houses in the slums were made up using various scraps of woods and metals which got collected/recycled by the people of the slums, which make the air around Cloud and Angelina very heavy,dry and coarse and they quickly clamped their noses and mouths shut with their hands so as not to inhaled the foul, musky odour rising from the heaps of waste around them. They lowered their heads and quickly hastened their strides down the dusty,sandy dirt road among the houses and its people (both inside and outside of their houses) away from them.

When they finally arrived at their destination, which turns out to be an almost decent-looking two-storey building at the far end of Sector 7 with a lighted sign hanging outside of the building with the words "Tifa's 7th heaven" on it, Cloud and Angelina saw that Barret was running up the steps of 7th Heaven and went through the saloon door into the building while Biggs, Wedge and Jessie stood at the bottom of the steps like guards or something. Seconds later they could hear the sounds of shooting from Barret's gun-arm and several people burst through the saloon door and fled down the steps in a fright (which Biggs, Wedge and Jessie quickly move out of the way so as not to get knocked aside by them). Some of them stay behind to yelled words of abuse back at Barret, who burst out of the door seconds later to yelled angrily at them before raising his gun-arm and pointed it at the ones who stay behind. They saw his gun-arm and immediately turned and fled away from him and Barret then lowered his gun-arm before walking down the steps and stood at the bottom of it with his arms crossed, taking Biggs, Wedge and Jessie's place as guard.

Cloud and Angelina shook their heads before they both walked forward to the building, as they approach it, the saloon door behind Barret opened once again and a young, pretty woman walked out of it before she slightly waved her dark, brown gloved hand to usher Biggs, Wedge and Jessie into the building. The woman's name was Tifa Lockhart, a childhood friend of Cloud and Angelina from Nibelheim. She's about the same age as Angelina (both are now 19 years old) with long dark brown hair behind her back, wearing a white tank-top with brown straps on them and dark green shorts, dark brown gloves on both of her hands and wearing short brown boots on her legs. Tifa looked over at Cloud and Angelina after Biggs and the others went into the building and gave them a brief smile (which Angelina gave a smile back in greeting) before she turned around and went through the saloon door after the others.

"Heh, heh." Barret sniggered suddenly in front of them both and they glance at him with confused looks on their faces. "You two wanna meet your little baby, huh?"

"Little baby?" Cloud repeated Barret's words sternly.

"What little baby?" said Angelina, crossing her arms.

"Hey! Don't you two act like you don't know what I mean!" said Barret to them with a sly grin on his face. "I'm telling you…" he began saying to them then stopped abruptly and looked around the area. Satisfied that all of the people which he chased out of the building are now gone completely, he tilted his head back at the building to them. "Ok! Go on ahead now, you two!" he told them both and they step past him, walked up the steps and went through the saloon door into the building.

Once Cloud and Angelina are inside the building, they saw that Biggs and Jessie were sitting down on two chairs at a table and talking amongst themselves while holding two cups of drinks in their hands near them. As for Wedge, he too sat down on a chair near them but he's not talking to them both, instead he's drinking thirstily from his cup while eating some tuna sandwiches on a plate on the table near him.

"Papa!" the voice of a small girl cried out suddenly and causing Cloud to step back in surprised when he saw a small girl with short brown hair and wearing a pink dress coming toward him with joy on her face. But she skidded to a halt when she looked up and saw that it's Cloud before her instead of her father, the joy on her face abruptly change into sorrow and she quickly turned around and ran off from him toward a right-side corner next to a fridge near the bar inside the building, covered her face with her small hands and began weeping. Angelina saw it all and shook her head while she patted Cloud's shoulder before she and Tifa (who ran out from behind the bar before them) immediately went to comfort the weeping girl.

"There, there, Marlene. Don't cry." said Angelina as she try to soothed the small girl named Marlene.

"Marlene, aren't you going to say something to Cloud?" Tifa asked Marlene softly before she and Angelina stood up and they turned around and walked over to Cloud, with Marlene trailing/hiding behind them both and her small hands clutching the backs of their clothes. Marlene then waved her hand nervously at Cloud, her face still red and wet from her tears.

"Welcome home, Cloud, Angie." said Tifa in a pleasant tone to them both. "Looks like everything went well. So, did you fight with Barret again?"

"Not really, this time." replied Cloud plainly.

"All Barret did is spoke harshly to us and pushes us around every chance he get during the mission, Tifa. He pisses me off." said Angelina with an annoyed look on her face.

"Figures." said Tifa, rolling her eyes. "He's always like that, especially at you two and her sometimes."

Tifa then noticed the white flower hanging on Angelina's ear and another white flower Cloud clutched in his hand, which he's still holding after he bought it from the beautiful flower lady in Loveless avenue in Sector 8.

"Oh, Angie! What a nice flower you have on your ear. Did Cloud bought them?" Tifa asked her.

"Huh? Uh, yeah, he did." replied Angelina with her head slightly lowered and a light blush on her cheeks. "Hey, Cloud. Why don't you give the other flower to little Marlene? It might cheer her up even more."

Cloud stared at both Angelina and Tifa for a moment before he nodded, kneel down in front of Marlene and held out the other white flower to her. Marlene stared at the flower Cloud held out to her for a moment before her face beamed happily and she came out from behind Tifa and Angelina, took the flower from him and run back to hide nervously behind them again. Both Tifa and Angelina gave him small smiles on their faces as he stood up and then they heard another woman's voice spoke out from behind Cloud.

"Welcome back, Cloud, Angelina. Good to see that you two make it back to 7th Heaven safely."

Tifa, Angelina and Marlene stared behind Cloud at the woman before Cloud turned around to faced the woman who stood behind him now. The woman behind him who had a slightly cold look on her pretty face and arms down at her sides when he turned around is their friend and fellow former 1st class soldier, Laina Donovan (who's 26 years old now), with straight waist-length chestnut brown hair tied-up in a ponytail with an azure-coloured ribbon behind her head and several brown bangs framing her oval face and mako blue eyes, wearing a black T-shirt with a pair of long black jeans, knee length brown cotton boots on her legs and a long velvet blue-coloured coat over her T-shirt and jeans. Also, she had a lapis lazuli silver ring on her left hand ring finger and a small, nervous boy (which they noticed) with grey-coloured eyes, round face, messy black hair and wearing a slightly dirty white T-shirt with brown shorts and shoes, who's small hands is clinging onto the back of Laina's coat tightly.

"H-Hello, Laina." said Angelina slightly nervously to her. "We're back. By the way, Laina, who's that small boy behind you?"

"Oh? This boy?" said Laina as she glance from Angelina down to the small, nervous boy clinging behind her. "His name's Wren and he's a boy who almost got mauled by a Behemoth when I stumbled upon them and I blasted the Behemoth away to saved him. But when I asked him about where his parents were, he told me that they already got killed by the Behemoth which I blasted away so I took pity on him and decided to bring him back here with me."

"Oh my!" said both Tifa and Angelina with pity in their eyes and voices and both Marlene and Cloud gave Wren looks of sympathies before Tifa and Angelina crouch down to faced the boy, who shrank slightly away from them and his hands clench Laina's coat even more tightly. They introduced themselves to him politely/carefully and Cloud took the chance of all the women and Marlene getting distracted in saying words to soothed Wren to head out of the door, finding Barret and talk to him about their pay when so he could leave soon (and bring Angie and Laina with him, possibly). But as he reached for the door, there came a loud thundering sound of footsteps from outside and Cloud quickly retreat and jumped back onto an empty table behind him just as the saloon door burst open inwardly to showed Barret running into the building before looking around at everyone, (Biggs, Wedge and Jessie sitting down near a table with foods and drinks to his left, Cloud sitting on a table with Angelina, Laina and a small boy behind her standing next to him to his right and Tifa, standing with Marlene in front of her before him).

"Papa, welcome home!" Marlene cried out in joy as she run away from Tifa toward Barret, who smiled happily when he saw her.

"Yeah." said Barret as he kneel down to lifted her up and placed her carefully on his right shoulder. "Huh? Where'd you get that flower, Marlene?"

"Cloud gave it to me, papa." replied Marlene.

"Oh." said Barret a little unhappily. "Did you thank him for it?"

Marlene lapsed into silence, her face turning red with embarrassment before she twisted herself around on Barret's shoulder to faced Cloud. "Thank you, Cloud. We'll take care of you."

" _Awww, how sweet."_ thought Angelina with a small smile on her face as she glance between Marlene and Cloud.

"Are you alright, Barret?" Tifa asked him.

"I'm great, Tifa!" Barret answered her question with enthusiasm before he turned around to faced the others. "Get in here, fools! We're startin's the meetin'!"

Barret then turned from them and with Marlene still on his shoulder, went toward an old pinball game machine against the wall to their right, banged on it with his fist and the machine suddenly shudder then descend down through the floor into a secret room which was built under the bar, carrying Barret and Marlene down with it. Soon Biggs, Wedge and Jessie got up from their table and followed Barret, they jumped down one by one through the hole down to the room. As the three of them are all down in the secret room, the pinball game machine soon rise up, closed the hole and Cloud got off the empty table he's sitting on and followed Laina, Angelina and Wren toward the bar table while Tifa went behind the bar to fix some food and drink for Wren.

"Here you go, Wren." said Tifa as she placed a plate of ham and cheese sandwiches and a glass of cold milk in front of him. "Dig in."

"T-Thank you, miss." replied Wren before he began eating the sandwiches. Tifa smiled at him before looking over at Cloud, Angelina and Laina.

"What about you three? What would you three want to… drink?"

"Give me something hard, Tifa." said Cloud.

"I'll have a glass of brandy, Tifa." said Angelina.

"Give me a cold can of A and W root beer." said Laina.

"Okay, just wait a while. I'll make it and bring it over to you guys." said Tifa as she turned and went over to the other end of the bar, where she then took out two empty glasses and began to mix/make Cloud and Angelina's drinks before putting both of the glasses on the table and slide it over to Cloud and Angelina (who caught them easily) then went toward the fridge near the bar, opened it to take out a can of A and W root beer and hand it over to Laina, who thanked her before she open it and drink it.

"You know, Cloud, Angie, both Laina and I were quite relieved that you two made it back safely to Sector 7 with Barret and the others." Tifa told them both.

"You maybe, Tifa, but not me. Because I know that they can take care of themselves after I taught them how to fight for the past two years before we met you and joined AVALANCHE." said Laina with an indifferent look on her face.

Cloud sipped his drink before putting his cup down on the bar table and gave Tifa a puzzled look. "What's with you worrying about me all of a sudden, Tifa? That wasn't even a tough job for both me and Angie."

"Yeah, Tifa. And Laina's right." said Angelina, mentally agreeing with Cloud. "That was nothing compared to what the three of us went through back when we were still 1st class SOLDIER in Shinra, right, Laina?"

"Yeah, Angelina." said Laina with a sad look on her face which Cloud, Angelina and Wren didn't noticed, except Tifa.

"I guess not, you three were in SOLDIER…" Tifa admitted as both Cloud and Angelina sipped their drinks again. "Make sure the both of you get your pay from Barret."

Cloud finished his drink and put his cup back on the table again. "Don't worry, Tifa." said Cloud reassuringly to her. "Once we get that money, we're out of here."

"All three of us, Tifa." added Angelina to Tifa after she finished her brandy, put her glass down on the table and both she and Cloud got out of their chairs and didn't noticed the sad look on Tifa's face, except Laina.

"Cloud, Angie. Are you two feeling alright?" Tifa asked them both suddenly.

Cloud and Angelina stopped and turned toward Tifa with confusion on their faces. "Yeah, we are alright. Why?" asked Angelina.

"Oh, no reason." replied Tifa. "Just that I noticed that you two look a little tired, that's all."

"Okay, Tifa, that's enough for now." said Laina. "You two better head on down to the secret room before Barret goes mad and raged at you both. And besides, I think Wren had enough and is looking a little tired now."

Cloud, Angelina and Tifa glance over at Wren, who's indeed looking a little fatigued after finishing his cold milk and ham and cheese sandwiches which Tifa gave him. Cloud gave Laina a nod which she nodded back and he and Angelina turned around and went toward the old pinball machine, pulled down the lever on it and the machine began to bring them both down while Laina scooped Wren up in her arms from his seat and took him to one of the two bedrooms upstairs, tucked him into the bed then went back downstairs to rejoined Tifa at the bar.

" _If only I could told the both of them the entire truth."_ both women thought to themselves as they busy doing their own stuff near the bar themselves.

XXXX

The basement room both Cloud and Angelina are in after they came down with the old pinball machine from above wasn't exactly an impressive one, for it was a small square-shaped room which had been converted into a kind of messy living room for members of AVALANCHE to meet/plan their missions. A large TV screen was built into the grey concrete wall in a corner on the right side of the room next to Jessie, who's busy typing furiously on her computer (and also where she did her research on Shinra tech/securities and constructed/built bombs). Right now the TV screen was showing a report and a picture of the reactor explosion which they caused minutes ago.

Biggs and Wedge were sitting near a dark rectangular table in the middle of the room, talking amongst themselves while Barret himself was busy punching a faded brown punch bag furiously and vigorously in a corner on the left side of the room behind Biggs and Marlene was sitting on a huge cardboard box next to him, cheering him on. Soon Barret noticed the both of them, stopped punching the punch bag and turned to faced them.

"Yo, you two! There's something I wanna ask you both!" said Barret and both Cloud and Angelina turned to him and listen in silence. "Was there anyone from SOLDIER fighting us today?"

Angelina sighed while Cloud crossed his arms before shaking his head. "None, Barret. We're positive." replied Cloud.

"Humph, you sound pretty sure." Barret grumbled in an annoyed tone.

"Oh, come on!" said Angelina with a scowl on her face. "They were just security guards, Barret! Can't you tell by the colours of their uniforms?"

"Angie's right, Barret." Cloud told him plainly. "If there was anyone from SOLDIER among them, then all of you wouldn't be standing here alive right now."

Barret's face instantly turned dark with pure anger/hatred at Cloud when he heard him say those words out.

"Humph! Don't go thinkin' you so badass jes cuz you was in SOLDIER! Same goes for you, woman! And also the other woman above us with Tifa!" Barret warned them firmly.

Angelina's violet eyes flared up in anger at hearing Barret's words and she began to open her mouth to say something hateful to him but Cloud put his hand on her shoulder, shook his head to her and she calm down a little then both she and Cloud turn their backs to Barret. Barret didn't like it and he began to moved forward to them in an attempt to beat some sense into them but got intervened by Biggs who quickly get up from his chair and stood in front of him, holding him back. Barret struggled furiously with Biggs for a while until he drew back his fist and punched Biggs right on his face, sending him flying then crashing against a wall hard and he fell to the ground. After that silence soon spread around the room while the other two members of AVALANCHE and Marlene watched them with bated breaths. Barret had finally calm down slightly after punching Biggs away so he's not going to beat Cloud and Angelina anytime soon but his rugged face still has a tinge of anger on it.

"Yeah, I get it, all three of you are strong." said Barret with a taunted tone to them. "Probably all them guys in SOLDIER are. But don't you two forget that your skinny asses is working for AVALANCHE now! Don't get no ideas 'bout hangin' back onto Shinra!"

That statement got on both their nerves and both Cloud and Angelina turned back to glared at Barret angrily.

"Hanging back onto Shinra, you say?" hissed Angelina in anger. "Why the hell would we do that, you muscle idiot?"

"You asked us a stupid question and we answered it…that's all." Cloud snarled at him before walking forward to him and looked up at him coldly. "We'll be going upstairs now, Barret. I want to talk about our money."

Cloud finished his words then turned and began to walked away from Barret (whose fists is shaking in rage now) with Angelina following next to him and they were about to head up above when they saw both Tifa and Laina came down to the basement room on the old pinball machine after hearing the loud yelling/commotion causes by Barret, Cloud and Angelina. Tifa hurried over to Cloud and Angelina while Laina just stood by near the pinball machine while watching them indifferently and with her arms crossed.

"Wait! Cloud, Angelina!" said Tifa to them both.

"Tifa! Let them go!" Barret told her. "Looks like they still misses the Shinra company!"

"Shut your mouth already!" Angelina snarled in anger as she turned back to glared at Barret again. "We don't care about either Shinra or SOLDIER!"

"And furthermore," Cloud added angrily as he too turned back to glared at Barret. "Don't you get us wrong! We also don't care about your AVALANCHE group or the Planet itself for the matter!"

Cloud and Angelina then walked past Tifa, who glance at them with a sad look on her face toward Laina and the old pinball machine near her.

"Come on, Laina." said Cloud to her. "We're leaving now."

Laina sighed then nodded at them and step on the old pinball machine with both Cloud and Angelina, Cloud pulled on the lever and the machine began to bring them up to the bar room above, all three of them ignoring the sound of Barret's furious punching of the punch bag again. As they reach the bar room above and glance around the empty place for a while and then they began walking toward the exit saloon door, not noticing the old pinball machine went down to the basement room then came up again, this time with Tifa standing on it. When she saw them about to leave through the saloon door for good, she quickly run and intercepted them before they could leave.

"Listen, you guys." said Tifa in a pleading and desperate tone to them. "I'm asking you three to please join us, joined AVALANCHE."

Cloud shook his head without looking at her. "Sorry, Tifa. We can't."

"The Planet is dying." Tifa told them desperately. "Slowly but surely it's dying, you guys! Someone has to do something to helped it, saved it!"

"Then let Barret and his AVALANCHE group do it, Tifa!" Laina snapped harshly at Tifa suddenly while glancing at her with a cold and uncaring look on her face. "Why should we care whether the Planet should be saved or not? All we want, all I want is to give hell to the Shinra company!"

"Yeah, that's right." said Angelina, agreeing with Laina. "This has nothing to do with us, Tifa. I'm sorry."

"But we're all up against the same enemy, the same company who wrecked our lives and took away those we cherish and loved dearly, Cloud, Angie, Laina!" said Tifa out loud to them and both Cloud and Angelina flinched slightly while Laina kept on staring at Tifa, her cold/uncaring look still on her face. "How will Barret, Biggs, Wedge, Jessie and me fared against them without you three helping us?"

"Goddammit, Tifa!" said Cloud in an annoyed/angry tone to her. "Stop saying it already! It's got nothing to do with us anymore!" He then began walking past Tifa again with them both following after him.

"So, that's it? You three are just gonna leave us like this?!" Tifa yelled indignantly at them while stamping her foot angrily on the floor and putting her hands on her hips. "You and Angie are just going to walked right out of here with Laina and leave me, your childhood friend behind with Barret and the others?"

Cloud, Angelina and Laina stopped in their tracks and both Cloud and Angelina turned around to glance at Tifa with shocked looks on both their faces.

"What? How can you say that to us, Tifa?" said Cloud.

"You know that we won't do that to you." said Angelina.

"That's what you two say and yet you two are doing it to me now, hypocrites." replied Tifa sadly to them before lowering her face.

Laina, who's remained silent while watching them word-spar each other back and forth, let out a sigh, turned around and gave them a "You-guys-sort-this-out" look and then leave them and head toward the bar table and sat down on a chair, ignoring all three of them. Cloud, Angelina and Tifa lapsed into silence for a few seconds after Laina leave them until Tifa lifted her face and glance at them both.

"You forgotten your promise too, Cloud." said Tifa.

"Huh? What promise, Tifa?" said Cloud, confused.

"So you DID forget about it…" said Tifa sadly and she lowered her head again.

"What she mean is the promise the three of us shared together back in Nibelheim, Cloud." Angelina told him. "Remember…It was almost 7 years ago…"

Cloud crossed his arms while tapping his left foot to try to remember before lifting his head up to gazed up at the ceiling of the bar room. For a moment he couldn't remember a thing on what both Tifa and Angelina just said but slowly an image began to formed within his mind. He saw the old wooden well built outside in the middle of Nibelheim, under a clear night sky filled with bright, twinkling stars.

"Look, the well." Angelina whisper to him at the same time Tifa lifted her head again and gave them a nod.

"Do you remember now, Cloud?" Tifa asked him.

"Yeah…" replied Cloud with a nod of his head. "Back then, Angie and I thought that you would never come and we were getting a little cold…"

XXXX

 _Cloud sat down on the edge of the well with Angelina sitting next to him (both of them wearing dark-coloured t-shirts and brown shorts with white shoes), tapping his feet gently against the side of the sturdy wood structure with the well on it behind them both as they waited for Tifa to come. After a few seconds, they heard the sound of someone climbing up the wood structure, turned their heads and saw Tifa (wearing a teal-green dress with matching shoes) looking over at them with a small smile on her young face._

" _Sorry I'm late, you two." Tifa apologized to them._

" _That's okay, Tifa." replied Angelina._

 _Tifa smiled back at her then went over to them before sitting down on the wooden structure next to Cloud without facing him. Tifa then waited for Cloud to tell her the reason on why he called her out but he kept silent. Angelina then nudged his side with her elbow a little to get him to talk and just when he's about to, Tifa turned around to face him and talk instead._

" _You said that you wanted to tell me something, Cloud. So what is it?" Tifa asked him._

" _This coming spring… I'm leaving this country place for Midgar." Cloud answered her with a heavy sigh._

 _Tifa heard what he said and looked away from him, tapping her feet lightly against the wooden structure while Angelina stared at him in surprise then she too, looked away from him._

" _All the boys living here are now leaving this place." said Tifa after a long silence._

" _Not me, I'm different from all those boys, Tifa, Angie." Cloud told them while shaking his head. "I'm not just leaving this place to find a meager job." Cloud then stood up swiftly and looked left and right at both girls. "I want to join SOLDIER and becoming the best of it, just like the SOLDIER hero, Sephiroth!"_

" _Sephiroth, huh?" whispered Angelina._

" _The Great Sephiroth." whispered Tifa._

 _Cloud then turned and began to walked away from Tifa, pass Angelina who raised her legs near her to let him pass by and he headed around the corner of the well toward the back of it. Moments later he appeared at the top of the well after he climbed up the wooden board-like ladder at the side of the well, he then looked down at both Angelina and Tifa. Angelina had lowered her legs and tapping them gently against the wooden structure while Tifa raised one of her leg up against her chest and wrapped her arms around it._

" _Isn't it kinda hard to joined SOLDIER, Cloud?" Tifa asked him._

" _Are you doubting him, Tifa?" said Angelina without looking at Tifa._

" _No, Angie. I was just…" Tifa began saying but then got interrupted by Cloud._

" _So I probably won't be able to come back to this place for a while." Cloud told them both and suddenly he heard Tifa giggling. He glance down at her. "What's so funny, Tifa?"_

 _Tifa quickly stifled her giggles and took a deep breath before her face turn serious-like again. "Will you be in the papers if you do well, Cloud?" Tifa asked him._

" _If I train myself really hard then I might be in it, Tifa." replied Cloud._

" _In that case, I'm going with you to Midgar too, Cloud." said Angelina._

" _What! You can't, Angie!" said Cloud as he glance down at Angelina with a surprised look on his face._

" _And why not, Cloud?" retorted Angelina._

" _Because…" Cloud began then trailed off._

" _I'm going with you and that's that, Cloud." insisted Angelina. "Besides, who will stopped you in case if you got into fights while you stayed in Midgar?"_

 _Cloud stared down at Angelina who stared up at him with a defiant/stubborn look on her face and he sighed deeply, giving up on arguing with her._

" _Hey, you two." said Tifa suddenly to them. "Why don't we make a promise?"_

" _What kind of promise?" Cloud asked her._

" _Umm, like if you got famous enough and if I'm ever in a bind… You'll come save me, right?"_

" _What?"_

" _Because a year ago, I use to have a dream, a dream where I was in trouble and I saw my hero coming to rescue me from the trouble. I want to experience that once, at least."_

" _What?" Cloud repeated his earlier word._

" _Oh, come on-!" insisted Tifa as she looked up at Cloud again. "Promise me-!"_

 _Cloud gaped while staring down at her in bafflement for a while and decided to agreed to her._

" _Alright, Tifa… I promise…" replied Cloud and Tifa gave him a happy smile, both of them didn't noticed the sad/jealous look on Angelina's face as she stared up and down at the both of them._

XXXX

"You remember now, don't you, Cloud?" Tifa asked him. "Our promise."

Cloud uncrossed his arms, glance at both Angelina and Tifa for a few seconds before lowering/shaking his head.

"I'm not a hero and I'm not famous, Tifa." he told her plainly. "I was unable to… keep my promise."

"But you got your childhood dream, didn't you? You joined SOLDIER." Tifa told him.

"Yes, he did, Tifa. But a lot of bad things have happened after that." Angelina told her sadly.

The three of them (including Laina, who's still ignoring them) lapsed into silence until the silence got interrupted by the sound of someone climbing up the rusted pipes from the basement room below again. All four of them turned their heads and saw Barret climbing up, landed on the wooden floor of the bar room before he walked toward them.

"Wait just a sec, you big-time SOLDIERS!" Barret grumbled in an annoyed tone to Cloud before his hand went into his pocket and pull out a bag of gil. "A promise is a promise! So here!"

Barret tossed the bag of gil at Cloud, who caught it in his hand before he opened the bag and both he and Angelina stared at the amount of gil they got within the bag. Both of them curled their lips a little before Cloud tied the bag of gil up and put the bag into his own pocket.

"This is our pay? Don't make me laugh." said Cloud haughtily at Barret.

"What? Then you three'll…" said Tifa with a happy/relieved look on her face.

Cloud glance from Barret's annoyed face and Tifa's happy/relieved face to Angelina, who standing next to him and gave him a resign nod before he glance up and over Barret and Tifa's shoulder at Laina, who stared at them all indifferently before shrugging her shoulder in reply.

"You got the next mission lined up for us?" Cloud asked Barret. "If you already did, we'll do it for 4000 gil."

"Say what…?" Barret raged out while shaking his arms around in anger.

"It's okay, it's okay…" said Tifa as she turned around to calm Barret down before whispering to him. "We're really hurting for help, right?"

Barret turned and whispered back to her. "That gil's for Marlene schoolin…"

"Come on, Barret. We need them for now." Tifa whispered back to him and Barret shook in anger for a while before glaring at Cloud.

"3000 gil! And that's final!" said Barret to Cloud before he crossed his arms and turn his back to them defiantly. Cloud sighed and Angelina patted his shoulder while Tifa gave them a small smile.

"Thanks for staying with us, Cloud, Angie and also Laina, for now." Tifa told them before she turned around and followed Barret, who jumped onto the rusted pipes and began climbing down into the basement room. Once they've both gone down, Cloud and Angelina began making their way toward the bar table and sat down on both sides of Laina.

"So, things are all sorted up now between you guys?" Laina asked them.

"Yeah." replied Angelina.

"Once the next mission's over, we're really leaving the place, Laina. No exception." Cloud told her with a firm tone.

Laina glance at him indifferently before she told them that she's going up to sleep now and got off the chair, turned and headed up the stairs against the wall to the left side of the bar room and into the room where she tucked Wren in on the bed. She glance down at him with pity in her eyes for a second before she sat down on the floor next to the bed, place her head down on her knees which she raised up near her chest, wrapped both of her hands on it and began thinking a little before she slept.

" _I wonder how's Phemie doing now? Did she misses me at all? Did Crisis take good care of her the last few years or not when I'm not with her?"_ thought Laina sadly to herself. " _I really hope that he did and that she's okay."_

Soon she closes her mako blue-eyes and began to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Heading to Sector 5 reactor**

The gentle buzzing static of the TV screen in the right side corner of the basement room plus the sound of Angelina's voice as she try to wake Cloud up finally cut through his sleep and woke him up. Cloud opened his eyes and glance at Angelina for a second before he stretched his tired/aching body and slowly stood up from his uncomfortable slumber on the hard metallic ground, with Angelina helping him up a little.

"Morning, Angie." Cloud greeted her. "Where's the others?"

"They're already up and waiting for us both above." replied Angelina. "Come on, let's go."

Cloud nodded at her then they both went toward the old pinball machine, pulled the lever on it and the machine began bringing them up to the bar room above. When Cloud and Angelina reached the room above, they turned around and saw Barret (who's standing at the exit of the bar room with a scowl on his face, his arms crossed and his feet tapping impatiently on the floor), Tifa and Laina were waiting for them while Marlene was busy cleaning behind the bar with Wren helping her in cleaning the bar as well. Tifa smiled happily when she saw them both while Laina just gave them both her usual indifferent, cold look.

"Good morning! Cloud, Angie!" Tifa greeted them both quite cheerfully. "How's your sleep last night?"

"It would have been great if Barret haven't been snoring loudly in the room." Cloud complained while glaring at Barret, who glared back at him. Angelina giggle while Tifa let out a small sigh and lifted her gloved hand to gave his shoulder a pat.

"By the way, I'm going with all of you this time." Tifa told him and Angelina.

"What?" said both Cloud and Angelina as they stared at her in confusion. They then waited for her to explain to them on why she's going but instead of explaining, she turned to Barret, who's getting more impatient now.

"Now, listen up. Our target this time is the Sector 5 Mako Reactor." Barret told them as they all look at him and waiting for his mission details. "Head for the station first. I'll fill you all in on the train then."

Barret then turned to look at Laina. "I want you to stay here to take care of the place and watched over Marlene and Wren, woman."

"Fine, whatever." Laina snapped at Barret. "And my name isn't woman, you moron. My name's Laina Donovan."

"Tch, whatever." said Barret as he turned around and was about to walked out of the bar room when he suddenly remember something, stopped and turned to looked at Cloud. "Yo! Cloud! Before we went and do our next mission, I got somethin' I wanna ask you! I, uh… I don't really know how to use materia! So will you teach me on how to use it?"

Cloud sighed deeply and shake his head while both Angelina and Laina gave Barret "Are-you-serious?" looks. Laina then went toward Barret and began to teach him sternly on the proper way to use and casted Magic attacks/defences from the various materia they currently had (which is Fire, Thunder, Ice and Cure materia).

"And that concludes the materia tutorial. You got all that, moron?" said Laina.

Barret's eyes immediately flared up in anger when he heard Laina say that to him. "You think that you're so great and all just because you know some basics on materia, huh?" he snarled at her before turning and stomped out of the bar room, through the saloon door angrily. Tifa sighed again as she watched Barret leave the building and Laina snorted before turning around and went toward the bar table and sat down on one of the chair near it before she glance at both Marlene and Wren behind the bar and gave them both a small smile.

"We'll be going now, Marlene!" Tifa told the small girl. "You watched over the store with Laina and Wren until we came back, alright?"

Marlene looked up from the bar counter which she's wiping with a cloth and smiled at Tifa. "Alright, Tifa! Good luck!" replied Marlene.

Tifa nodded before she, along with Cloud and Angelina, turned and headed out of the building. When the three of them step out of 7th Heaven, they ignored the slums and it's usual crowd of poor people and childrens who were out and about the place with some nosy people who's hanging near the way which led to the train station. Cloud, Angelina and Tifa went down the stair steps of 7th Heaven, turned left and run past the people loitering near the way and toward the train station, where they could see Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were standing and waiting for them with their backs on the opened train door on the train platform and also to keep the train from leaving without them. When Barret and the others saw them coming, they quickly turned around and went through the opened door, Cloud, Angelina and Tifa followed closely behind them and went into the train as well.

XXXX

After they all went into the train, the train station guard run toward the opened door while inspecting around the platform to see if there's any last minute or slow passengers left behind. When he saw none, he raised his hand which is holding a whistle to his mouth and blew on it. A second later he heard the sound of the train horn blew out and the opened door of the train closes before the guard and began leaving the station.

XXXX

Inside the train, Cloud, Angelina and Tifa saw that Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were sitting comfortably/normally amongst the same passengers (the two hooligans, the sick-looking man wearing a posh red suit and a few homeless people) which they saw last night while on their way back to 7th Heaven in Sector 7. Soon Barret stood up from the chair, turned and began to talk to them fiercely.

"YO!" said Barret out loud in an angry tone to them after he observed the train car they're now in. "Looks like this ain't no private car! So split up!"

Immediately Biggs, Wedge and Jessie jumped/stood up from their seats, turned and began to run through the adjoining train car door to their left before splitting up so as not to get spotted easily by Shinra securities or soldiers. The two hooligans and the few homeless people also got up and left the train car to the next one, leaving the posh red-suit man behind.

"… Just my rotten luck." muttered the posh red-suit man under his breath. "The same no-good hoodlums again from last night…"

The man then began to walked away from the rails and sat down on one of the train seats just as Barret ran past the man toward the adjoining door and looked out of it while trying to find the person who muttered those words under his breath, unfortunately for the man.

"You say sumthin'?" Barret growled while continue his staring at the next train car. When he got no reply, he decided to raised his growling voice a little. "I said, 'you say sumthin'?"

When the man still didn't say anything, Barret turned around and began to walked toward the man sitting on the seat and then stopped and stared down at him with narrowed eyes. "Yo, look at that! It got empty alluva sudden. What's goin' on?" said Barret in a wicked tone to the man.

Slowly the man gulped and lifted his head to glance nervously up at Barret. "DAMN!" the man swore out at Barret before he began stammering. "I…it's empty because of…h, hoodlums like you…"

That got on Barret's nerve and his eyes narrowed even further while he stared down at the now nervous man before he raised his hand (which clench into a fist now) and swung it down to hit the top of the seat next to the man.

"Y,Y,YIPES!" the man yelped in fear and he jumped from his seat a little. "Y-You've seen the news, right? AVALANCHE says that there'll be more bombings. Only devoted employees like me would go to Midgar on a day like today."

"You workin' for Shinra?" Barret demanded furiously at the man as he stepped back from him and raised his gun-arm, loaded it and pointed it at the man threateningly. The man began shaking in fear when he saw the gun-arm on Barret's arm and he quickly lowered his head to his knees while sounds of sobbing began to echo from the now fearful man.

"I won't give in to violence." said the man as he sobbed pitifully on his seat. "And I'm not giving you this seat of mine either!"

"Barret, that's enough!" said Tifa out loud to him as she run up toward Barret and grabbed hold of his gun-arm to stopped him from firing/striking at the poor man. Barret glance at her for a while before he reluctantly lowered his gun-arm and glance away from Tifa to the now sobbing man.

"&$#%! You lucky$#$!" Barret cursed at the man which made him sobbed even more before he turned and began to walked angrily off to the end of the train car where Cloud and Angelina were standing. Tifa sighed heavily as she glance at Barret's back before turning and following after him.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Cloud asked Barret calmly/nonchalantly.

"Shit! The hell you so calm about?" replied Barret in an annoyed tone. "You bustin' up my rhythm…"

"Have you forgotten?" said Angelina as she scowled at Barret. "You told us that you wanted to fill us up on the details of the plan."

"Hah! Listen to Mr and Mrs "Serious-about-their-work"!" said Barret mockingly to them before chuckling. He stopped his chuckles when he saw Tifa rolling her eyes and both Cloud and Angelina giving him unimpressed looks and he soon crossed his arms and began telling them about the details.

"Awright, then! I'll tell ya! I dunno if Jessie already told you both, but there's a security checkpoint at the top of the Plate. It's an ID scan system which checks all the trains in Midgar."

"Which Shinra company is very proud of." added Tifa with a frown on her face.

"So, that means that the fake ID's which we've been using is usable no more, is that it?" said Angelina and Barret nodded to her. They then heard the computerized voice from the speaker in the train began speaking to its passengers.

" _Good morning, citizens of Midgar and welcome to Midgar Lines. The arrival times at the Sector 4 station will be 11:45 a.m."_

"That means that we've only three more minutes until the ID Check point." said Tifa to Barret and he nodded to her before he turned to look at both Cloud and Angelina, raised and clenched his hand into a tight fist.

"Alright," said Barret. "In three minutes, we're jumpin' off this train. Got it?"

Barret then turned and walked away from them and sat himself down on the train seat opposite the still sobbing man, ignoring him completely while focusing on the mission ahead in his mind. Tifa then walked forward swiftly past Barret and the sobbing man and stopped right next to the railway map computer at the other end of the train car before turning to Cloud and Angelina and began beckoning them excitedly.

"Cloud, Angie, come on over here!" Tifa called them. "Let's look at this Railway Map Monitor together."

Cloud sighed before he and Angelina walked over toward Tifa and they stood behind her left and right and looked over her shoulder at the monitor screen with uninterested looks on their faces. Tifa noticed their looks and turned to look at them before giggling slightly at seeing their expressions.

"Hmmm, it looks like you two have already seen this before. Jessie must have shown it to you two yesterday…" said Tifa after her giggles subsided. "…It's fine with me. Come a little closer." She then turned back around to the monitor but before she could tell them about it, a red light suddenly flashed brightly followed by the loud beeping of the ID check suddenly within the train car, making them raised their heads and looked around in surprised and confusion.

"That's odd." said Tifa. "The ID Check point was supposed to be further down."

A few seconds later, they all heard the computerized voice spoke again, this time with a harsh/serious tone of voice.

" _Type A Security Alert! Unidentified passengers confirmed… A direct search of all train cars will be conducted immediately! Repeat! Type A Security Alert! Unidentified passengers confirmed… A direct search of all train cars will be conducted immediately!"_

"What's happening?" asked Tifa to Cloud and Angelina at the same time Barret stood up swiftly from his seat and run over to them.

"What's goin' on!" Barret demanded furiously to them.

"What do you think!" said Angelina slightly harshly to Barret and Tifa while Cloud stared at them with an annoyed look on his face. "Someone screwed up in one of the train cars up ahead of us!"

The adjoining door connecting to the next train car before them opened to reveal Jessie as she ran in, her face pale with nervous and fear as she stopped to glance at each of them. "We're in trouble." said Jessie to them. "I'll explain later. Hurry! Get to the next car!"

"%# %! Someone did blew it..." Barret cursed out while clenching/shaking his fist in anger.

" _Unidentified passengers located in Car #1. Preparing for Lock Down."_ said the computerized voice.

"Come on! Let's go! Keep it up!" Barret ordered them and Jessie quickly turned, open and run through the adjoining door to the next train car, Barret, Tifa, Cloud and Angelina followed closely behind her. As soon as they are in the next train car, the door behind them automatically locked up.

" _Car#1 now locked down. Upgrading to Level 2 Warning."_ said the computerized voice.

As Barret and Tifa glance around at the other passengers who's now in fear, Cloud and Angelina noticed that Jessie is now further ahead of them and standing next to both Biggs and Wedge, who were waving frantically at them.

"Hurry, you guys!" Biggs yelled while urging them before he and Jessie turned and run through the next adjoining door.

"They're gonna lock this door soon, sir!" said Wedge to Barret before he turned and run to the next train car after Biggs and Jessie. Barret, Tifa, Cloud and Angelina wasted no time and run quickly through the adjoining door to the next train car just as the computerized voice spoke out again.

" _Unidentified passengers located in Car#2. Preparing for Lock Down."_

As soon as they all made it through the door to the next train car, the door behind them automatically locked up again and the blaring red light plus the sound of the loud beeping stopped flashing and gone silent.

" _Car#2 now locked down. Ungrading to Level 3 Warning."_ said the computerized voice.

"Awright! We clear now?!" Barret asked Jessie.

"Not yet." replied Jessie as she turned to look at Barret while shaking of her head. "They're starting yet another check. If we're caught, we're done for! But don't worry, if we keep moving up through the train car one by one, we should be able to get past it!"

After saying that, Jessie then turned and began to run down toward the next adjoining door which connects the train they're now in to the next one. But right now, a man in his early forties had blocked the door and Jessie wasted no time in pushing him roughly out of the way and went through the adjoining door to the next train car. Right after she went through, the same red light and the loud beeping sound went off and causing everyone in the car to be frighten again.

" _Unidentified passengers: Now moving to Front of Train. Currently tracking location."_ said the computerized voice.

Barret, Tifa, Cloud and Angelina quickly run down the train car through the adjoining door and kept on running/following after Jessie while ignoring the sounds of the red blaring alarm/ID beeping system, the computerized voice and the various terrified passengers until they reached the final train car.

" _Car#4 Locked Down. Upgrading to Maximum Security Alert!"_ said the computerized voice.

Now that they're all in the very final car of the train, Barret began looking around the car frantically for Biggs, Wedge and Jessie and found them standing near the entrance of the train car, all three of them in disguise outfits to avoid getting caught. Barret let out a small sigh of relieve before he run off toward them, stopped and turned around to look at Cloud, Angelina and Tifa.

"Alright! We made it!" Barret yelled to them. "Yo! Hurry, this way!"

Cloud, Angelina and Tifa run toward him at the same time Jessie (who's standing near Barret) turned and opened the door on the side of the train for them. After the door's open, the sound of the train speeding on the railway tracks mixed in with the sounds of the red blaring alarm and the ID beeping system inside the train got even louder.

"Let's go!" Barret yelled out to them through the loud noises. "We're gonna dive outta here!"

Cloud, Angelina and Tifa glanced out of the train door at the buildings which speeds past them while they're still in the train and Angelina turned and glared at Barret while Tifa step back nervously before turning to glance at Cloud.

"Scary… Huh…" said Tifa with a weak smile.

"No, this isn't scary, Tifa. This is crazy!" said Angelina sarcastically.

"Oh yeah?" said Cloud to them. "Too late to change your mind now, Tifa."

"Hey, enough yapping!" Barret yelled at them. "There ain't no time for that!"

After he yelled at them, Tifa then made up her mind and walked to the opened train door and Barret step aside to let her. Strong gusts of wind blew past her and everyone behind her into the train, blowing their hairs up and all around their faces and she glance out of the train again, seeing the buildings and the train railway pass by her in a fast blur. She glance back at the others and gave them a nod which they nodded back before glancing out of the train, took a deep breath and jumped out of the train. She was already gone when Cloud and Angelina looked out of the door for her before Cloud turned to glance at Barret.

"You don't care if we jumped out first?" Cloud asked him.

"A leader always stays till the end!" replied Barret as he glared at Cloud. "Don't worry 'bout me! Just go!"

Cloud gave him a nod before turning to Angelina, who's still standing and glancing out the opened train door.

"You ready, Angie?" Cloud asked her.

"No, of course not!" replied Angelina sarcastically.

"Hey, don't worry." said Cloud. "When you jumped, I'll jumped out with you too, alright?"

Angelina turned and gave Cloud a light glare then nodded slightly reluctantly to him. Cloud then glance away from her to the opened door and was about to jump out when Barret's yelling from behind them halted them before they could jumped.

"Don't you two go get your asses hurt! Remember that it's only the beginnin' of the mission!"

Cloud turned to Barret and shrugged his shoulder before turning back to the door while his hand reach out to hold Angelina slightly close to him (which make her blush a little) and they both jumped out of the speeding train. Once they're both gone, Barret then went to the door before turning around to glance at Biggs, Wedge and Jessie.

"Later!" said Barret to them. "You three take care of the rest!"

After saying that, Barret turned around and jumped out of the train, leaving Biggs, Wedge and Jessie behind on the train as it speeds on away from them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Blowing up Sector 5 reactor**

After Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret jumped out of the speeding train and landed hard on different part of the railway tracks inside a tunnel with several red and yellow lights shining brightly on both sides of the tunnel walls and several white lights on the tunnel ceiling above them, Cloud and Angelina slowly stood up on the railway, looked around them and saw their sword and naginata lying not far from them on the tracks and went to picked them up and put the weapons behind them. Cloud then pulled out a Cure materia (which Laina gave to him during their stay in 7th Heaven) and casted it on both himself and Angelina to healed the scrape marks on their hands and legs from when they landed on the railway after jumping out of the train. After Cloud's done in using the Cure materia to healed himself and Angelina and put the materia back in his pocket, both of them soon heard the sounds of footsteps, turned around and sighed in relieved when they both saw Barret and Tifa coming toward them.

"Are all of you alright?" Barret asked the three of them once they're gathered together in the railway tunnel and they all nodded to him. "Good. So far everything's going as planned. We better not let our guards down till we get to the Sector 5 reactor."

"That's true." said Cloud as he crossed his arms. "After that screw-up on the train, I'm sure that Shinra company has dispatch it's security personnel to come for us now."

"Will Biggs, Wedge and Jessie be alright?" said Tifa.

"Don't worry, Tifa! They'll be fine!" replied Barret. "Besides, they got everything ready for us. So let's MOVE it. Well, the reactor should be down this tunnel!"

"Are you sure about that, Barret?" said Angelina slightly sarcastically to Barret.

"Be quiet, you!" Barret snapped at her before he began leading the way past them down the tunnel in the same direction which the train just took. Cloud, Angelina and Tifa exchange glances with one another before they began following after him in silence. The four of them walked on the railway for six minutes until Cloud, Angelina and Tifa heard Barret cursed out and he stopped walking in front of them. Cloud and Angelina step past him to see why he stopped suddenly and they saw the reason why, for a series of green laser beams were flowing across the railway walls and preventing them from reaching the reactor.

"What are those beams?" said Tifa as she too stepped forward past Barret and saw the beams of green light.

"These beams of light are security sensors of Shinra." Cloud began explaining to both Tifa and Barret as they turned to him for explanation. "Which means that we can't go any further."

Barret cursed out again and crossed his arms while Tifa looked at the sensor beams, checking it to see if they could somehow disabled it but found none. As for Cloud and Angelina, they began to look around the railway tunnel to see if there's another, safer way for them to reach the reactor without getting caught and they soon spotted a small square shaft covered by a square metal panel on the ground against the wall to their left.

"Hey, Angie. Give me a hand here." Cloud told Angelina before they both turned and went toward the square shaft, kneel down before it and began pulling the metal panel away from the square shaft to reveal a small hole. Barret and Tifa soon noticed what the both of them were doing and approach them before looking down at the now opened small hole.

"That's one damn tiny hole." said Barret as he stared down at the square shaft hole with a horrified look on his face. "You two tellin' me to squeeze myself into that hole to get under the plate? No freaking way!"

"Well, you got a better idea?" said Angelina with an annoyed tone of voice at Barret. Tifa looked down at the small hole over Cloud and Angelina shoulders and concluded that it's big enough for all of them to squeeze through.

"It should be fine, Barret. I don't see anything that will get us stuck within this hole." said Tifa reassuringly to Barret.

"Yeah." said Cloud, agreeing with her. "If we all go down this hole, we won't be able to come back up."

Cloud, Angelina and Tifa then glance over at Barret, who frowned at all three of them before he began pacing back and forth behind them and stopped his pacing after a few seconds.

"Don't be wastin' time!" said Barret angrily to them. "We'll never know when Shinra'll find us. Cloud, you jes' gotta go."

"Then it's settle, everyone. We'll all go down." Cloud told them and both Angelina and Tifa nodded to him. Barret nodded too, reluctantly.

"But still, damn man," said Barret. "That hole thing gives me the chills."

Cloud ignored Barret's words, stood up and then began to lowered himself carefully, legs first into the hole while his gloved hands gripped the opening of the hole. After taking a deep breath, his gloved hands soon let go of the opening of the hole and he began falling down into the hole, passing through the vent while feeling the dusty/stale cool air rushing past him as he fell through before he found himself landed within a narrow metallic grey corridor. He turned and signalled up to Angelina, Tifa and Barret. Angelina was next to come down, followed closely by Tifa behind her. Cloud caught both of them gently by their waists one by one before lowering them gently to the ground. Barret was the last to came down through the hole after them and he landed with a slightly loud thud on the ground which causes metallic sounds to reverberated throughout the narrow corridor which they're now in to the walls beyond. Both Cloud and Angelina gave him annoyed looks which made him shrugged his shoulder before he began asking them on where to go next. The four of them then looked around the narrow corridor and soon noticed another, slightly bigger hole on the ground at the other end of the corridor with a ladder attached in it. They went toward it and began climbing down the ladder and when they reached the bottom of it and stepped off the ladder, they looked around and saw that they're now standing on part of a narrow metallic walkway which overlook the internal frame of the Plate.

They walked across the walkway, turned left and climbed down another ladder and reached the bottom of the frame before they turned left again and moved swiftly/silently across the metallic platform, passed Wedge who smiled in relieved to see them before he ushered them up a third ladder toward the next level at the top. After they reached the top and went across yet another walkway and saw Biggs waiting for them next to another, smaller ladder attached to a small tunnel above him.

"We're gonna pull out now. We'll meet up at the hideout later." Biggs told Barret who gave him a nod back before he turned to look at Cloud and Angelina.

"We're countin' on you two to set the bomb and blow up the reactor, Cloud, Angelina!" Biggs said to them and they nodded to him as well before he took off pass them across the walkway which they just came from while they turned around, climbed up the small ladder and began crawling into the small tunnel. After they crawled through and came out of the tunnel, they looked around and saw that they're now within the reactor chamber, which is identical to the No.1 reactor which they destroy yesterday. They then noticed Jessie standing on the walkway near a long pipe (which allowed people to slide down it to reach the bottom), her back to them. She turned around when she heard them approach and all four of them saw that Jessie had a sad/guilty look on her face.

"I'm sorry," Jessie suddenly apologized to them. "The ID scan problem back on the train is my fault." She then glance sadly over at Cloud. "Because I tried to make your ID card special… I put my heart into making it, but I failed. I'm really sorry for the screw-up, everyone." She finished saying then went past them, crouch down and crawled into the tunnel before anyone (especially Angelina, who's scowling now) could say anything to her. Barret then snapped his finger to get their attention and Cloud, Angelina and Tifa looked over at him before he walked past the three of them toward the spot where Jessie just stood and looked down.

"Looks like the only way down for us is by sliding down this goddamn long pipe." Barret told them as he turned to look at them.

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Angelina to Barret before she went toward the pipe, sat down on it and began sliding down it slowly at first then speeds up when she slide even further down the long pipe. After she reached the bottom of the long pipe safely, she turned to looked up at Cloud, Tifa and Barret, signalled them and waited as they came sliding down the long pipe one by one. Once they're at the bottom together, they turned right, open the door to the reactor and went into it before climbing down several ladders and walking across several metallic walkways until they all reached the inner reactor, which was built exactly like the No.1 reactor yesterday.

As they were about to approach the inner reactor to set the bomb, Cloud and Angelina began to felt the similar experience of coldness and a sharp, piercing whistling invading their mind and body (which they neglected to tell about to Laina and Tifa at 7th heaven yesterday). Cloud then clutched his head in agony before falling face-down on the walkway.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" said Angelina worriedly as she try to ignore the sharp, piercing whistling in her ears and she reach out her hand to touch Cloud's shoulder. The moment she do so, she blacked out and fell face down as well on the walkway next to Cloud.

XXXX

 _When they both opened their eyes, Cloud and Angelina saw that they're still within the reactor, but it's not the same reactor which they had just came in because they couldn't see Barret anywhere. They did see Tifa in front of them but it's not the same Tifa which followed them on their mission. This Tifa look much younger and wearing a kind of Texas outfit consists of a white tank top with a brown vest over it, short brown miniskirt with a dark brown belt around it, knee-length brown boots and a brown hat on her head. She was crying and kneeling next to a dead man which Cloud and Angelina recognized as Tifa's father, Aidan Lockhart._

" _Papa…" Tifa whispered in despair as she stared down at her father's body. "Sephiroth!? Sephiroth did this to you, didn't he? Sephiroth…SOLDIER…Mako reactors…Shinra company…Everything!" she lapsed into silence for a second before she raised her head and glared up at the ceiling._

" _I HATE THEM ALL!" Tifa yelled out in anger before she noticed the long and bloody sword next to her, grabbed it and stood up before running through an opened doorway into the reactor. Cloud and Angelina saw her run through the door and just as they were about to go after her, the coldness and the sharp piercing whistling pierced into their mind and body again and they fell back into unconsciousness._

XXXX

"Cloud, Angie! Are you two alright? Answer me!" said Tifa out loud as she gazed down worriedly at Cloud and Angelina.

Cloud and Angelina heard her frantic/worry voice and they both slowly got up from the walkway ground while shaking their heads, the coldness and the sharp piercing whistling which struck them both seconds ago is gone now.

"Damn, you two! Get a hold on yourselves!" said Barret angrily to them and they both ignored him.

"…Tifa" Cloud mumbled as he stared at her.

"Mmm?" said Tifa with her eyebrow raised up. "What is it, Cloud?"

"No… forget…" said Cloud as he look away from her, shaking his head again. "Come on, let's hurry!"

Tifa nodded before turning from them and heading toward the reactor. Cloud turned his head to glance at Angelina, giving her an "Are-you-alright" look which she respond by giving him a small reassuring smile. He nodded before he and Angelina went toward Tifa, who's standing/waiting near the reactor. She handed over the bomb (which Jessie gave to her) over to Cloud and he took it before kneeling down, set the same time on the bomb and placed it within the same place of the reactor like yesterday.

After Cloud set the bomb and placed it within the reactor, the four of them quickly turned around and run away as fast as they could from the inner reactor across the walkway, heading back the way they came from (which is climbing up ladders) out of the inner reactor room, running up a long set of stairs before turning left, went through an opened doorway and into an elevator. Cloud immediately went toward the buttons on the wall within the elevator and pressed the "Up" button which will send them up to the top level. After the elevator send them up and stopped, they quickly went out of the elevator and found themselves within a room which had two doors to their left and in front of them, the door to their left is open while the door in front of them is sealed up. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret went through the open door to their left and saw a large electronic rectangular table which had three glowing white panels on it.

"Jessie said that we have to push these three panels all at once." Tifa told them, remembering Jessie's words.

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Angelina to Tifa and the both of them went toward the two panels on the table while Cloud went toward the lone panel opposite the other two. Barret sulked angrily and went to one corner of the room to wait for them to push the panel buttons to open the door. Cloud, Angelina and Tifa raised their hands and pressed them down on the panel buttons at the same time and they soon heard the grating sound of the sealed door opening. They quickly left the room, went through the now opened doorway, turned left and went down a set of small stairs out of the room and found themselves on another T-junction walkway/corridor.

"This way!" Barret told the three of them before he turned and run down the left path of the T-junction walkway. But before he could approach the exit, several Shinra soldiers dressed in red outfits came in, armed with assault rifles in their hands. Barret immediately backed away from them until he stopped near Cloud, Angelina and Tifa.

"Shinra soldiers!?" Barret yelled while glaring at them. "SHIT! What the hell goin' on?"

"It's…" began Angelina in an annoyed tone.

"…a trap…" finished Cloud as he narrowed his eyes.

Soon the four of them heard the steady sound of footsteps coming toward them from the reactor entrance which they just came out of and they all turned to see who it is and were surprised to see the person who came out of the reactor.

"Presi… President Shinra?" said Barret, in surprised.

"That's the president of Shinra company?" said Tifa to them, also in surprised. "But why is he here?"

The president of Shinra company, an elderly stout man with thinning light blond hair and mustache, a cold/ruthless/disapproving look on his blue eyes and slightly wrinkled face, wearing an expensive-looking maroon red dinner suit and black shoes and holding a lit cigar in his right hand. He stopped walking and look at all four of them one by one before speaking to them in a voice as cold/ruthless/disapproving as his eyes and face.

"Hmm… So you all must be that… what was it?"

"AVALANCHE! And don't you forget it!" Barret roared while shaking his fists in anger. "And you're President Shinra, huh?"

Cloud stepped forward past Barret and began talking to the president. "Long time no see, president."

"…Long time no see?" said the president, confused. He looked closely at Cloud and noticed the colour of mako in his eyes. "Oh…you. You're one of the three who quit SOLDIER and joined AVALANCHE. I knew that you've been exposed to mako energy, from the look in your eyes and in her eyes as well, but her eyes are violet in colour instead of blue like yours." said the president while he looked past Cloud shoulder at Angelina, who's now glaring at him. "So tell me, traitors… what are your names?"

"Cloud Strife." said Cloud as he introduced himself.

"Angelina Pierce." said Angelina as she introduced herself as well.

"Forgive me for asking," the president said to Cloud and Angelina with a nod of his head. "But I can't be expected to remember each person's name. Unless you two become another Sephiroth, _or maybe another Angeal or Genesis."_ the president added in his thought. "Yes, Sephiroth himself was brilliant. But perhaps too brilliant…"

"Sephiroth…?" said Cloud with slight fear in his voice and he took a step back.

Barret, however, was having none of that. He ran forward and brushed roughly past Cloud and Angelina to faced the president and raised/shook his fists angrily at him.

"Don't give a damn 'bout none of that!" Barret yelled at the president. "This place's goin' up with a big BANG soon! Serve's y'all right!"

"And such a waste of good fireworks, just to get rid of good-for-nothing vermins like you all…" said the president with a shake of his head.

"VERMINS!?" Barret shouted furiously. "That's all you can say… VERMINS?!"

"Barret, calm down!" said Tifa, trying to calm him down but her words fell on deaf ears.

"Y'all Shinra're the VERMIN, killing the planet! And that makes you king VERMIN! So shu'up, jackass!"

"…You're beginning to bore me with your talks." said the president as he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a very busy man, so if you all will excuse me…, I have a dinner I must attend."

"Dinner!? Don't gimme that! I ain't even started wit' you yet!" said Barret angrily, taking a few angry steps forward.

"But I've made arrangements for a playmate for you all." the president told them before he clicked his fingers and they soon heard a faint, buzzing sound heading straight toward them to their left. Tifa turned to her left and tried to see the source of the thing which is making that buzzing noise.

"!? What's that noise?" Tifa asked them. Barret turned away from the president, run and brushed past Cloud and Angelina again and stopped next to Tifa.

"The hell is this?!" Barret demanded.

Soon the source of the buzzing sound which they all heard showed itself out from the left opened doorway and onto the the T-junction walkway. It was a robot as huge as the Guard Scorpion which Cloud, Angelina and Barret fought in No.1 reactor yesterday, but this huge robot could float a few feet above the ground, unlike the Guard Scorpion. It had several guns and cannons in its front and back and the buzzing noise they all heard came from the whirring blades beneath it which allowed it to float. It moved rapidly toward Barret and Tifa, who had no choice but to dodged and flatten themselves close to the railings of the T-junction walkway so as not to get knocked off by it. It then stopped and turned slowly around to faced Barret and Tifa in the middle of the walkway, separating Cloud and Angelina from Barret and Tifa. The Shinra soldiers armed with assault rifles which came out of the doorway to their right soon retreat back the way they came from, closed and locked the door upon the president's order which Cloud and the others failed to noticed.

"Meet "AirBuster"," said the president, introducing the huge robot to them. "A techno-soldier. Our Weapon Development Department created him. I'm sure the data which he'll extract from all of your dead bodies will be of great use to us in future experiments."

"Techno-soldier?" said Cloud as he and Angelina stared at the huge robot in surprised. They then heard the sound of a second whirring blades approaching and they all turned to glance back at the president just as a Shinra helicopter rise up from below before went and hovered near the president. They saw the side-door of the helicopter opened and both Cloud and Angelina were surprised to see a young woman who look similar to Laina with green eyes, shoulder-length chestnut hair and wearing a Turks outfit was opening the door for the president to boarded on with a spiky, red-haired guy who's also wearing a Turks outfit like her, standing next to her.

"Now then, if you'll excuse me." said the president, giving them a mocking bow before turning and boarded into the helicopter.

"Wait, president!" said both Cloud and Angelina out loud as they began to run toward the helicopter but was too late. The side-door of the helicopter closed shut and the helicopter began to flew upward and away from them and the reactor, leaving Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret behind to deal with the techno-soldier.

"Yo, Cloud, Angelina!" Barret called to the both of them. "We've gotta do somethin' about him!"

Cloud and Angelina heard him and they both turned back around, just in time to see AirBuster moving forward to Tifa and Barret, who began to backed away from the huge robot. It moved forward again, causing Tifa and Barret to backed away again and both Cloud and Angelina quickly run and stand behind the robot.

"Cloud, Angie! Help us!" yelled Tifa to them over the sound of the whirring blades. "THIS thing is also from SOLDIER?"

"No way, Tifa!" said Cloud to Tifa from behind the robot.

"This thing is just another machine, Tifa!" Angelina added to Tifa.

"I don't care what it is!" said Barret to them as he raised his gun-arm up at AirBuster, loaded and ready for firing. "I'm gonna bust him up!"

Barret began firing his bullets at AirBuster but his bullets merely making light scratches and dents on AirBuster's body while some of them bounce back and away from it's body, causing Tifa to dodge them and gave Barret a glare which he responded by giving her an apologetic look. AirBuster glance down at Barret (who's still raising his gun-arm to fired his bullets at it) and Tifa before the hatch at it's left side began opened up to reveal a sub-machine gun lodged on it. The sub-machine gun began firing automatically at Barret and Tifa, who had to dodged/backed away from AirBuster firing aim/range. After they dodged, Tifa raised her glove hand (which had a fire materia within a slot-hole on it, given to her by Laina) and began casting a fire ball and hurling the fire ball at AirBuster, striking it head on and causing it to jerk violently and hover back from them at the same time, Cloud and Angelina pulled their sword and naginata from their backs, charge toward the back of the robot and they began striking/slashing the robot's back while trying to find the robot's vital spot on it.

AirBuster felt Cloud and Angelina's strikes on it and it turned itself around to faced the both of them, completely ignoring Barret and Tifa. Cloud and Angelina saw it turning around to them and quickly backed away from it as it swung it's arms out at Cloud and Angelina but failed to struck them due to them already backing away from it. Now that AirBuster had turned it's back on them, Barret fired more bullets on it's back while Tifa began casting another fire ball and hurled it toward it's back, the fire ball struck and enveloped it's back for a while until it dissipated. AirBuster then turned back around to faced Barret and Tifa again and began using it's sub-machine gun to fired at them. Barret and Tifa had to dodged it's bullets again until Tifa casted a third fire ball from the fire materia and hurled it at the sub-machine gun this time. The fire ball struck the sub-machine gun head-on and the sub-machine gun began to glowed bright orange/red colour until it slowly melted and cooled down from the intense heat, rendering it unable to fired bullets at them anymore. Cloud and Angelina saw that Tifa had disable AirBuster's sub-machine gun and gave her a quick thumbs-up before they both charge toward the robot and began striking/slashing at it again.

Barret, Tifa, Cloud and Angelina continued to dealt more strikes/punches/bullets/magic damages on AirBuster even though it always turned around to faced them and try to strike them down to no avail until statics began to emanated from it and it began to shake violently, causing Barret, Tifa, Cloud and Angelina to ceased their relentless attacks and backed away from it. They watched warily as the statics and the shaking of the robot getting more violent until it exploded, causing chunks of it's metallic body to flew out everywhere and Barret, Tifa, Cloud and Angelina had to ducked/dodged from it. As if that wasn't enough, the explosion of the AirBuster also destroy part of the T-junction walkway near where Cloud and Angelina are standing on and the walkway began to broke and fell downward, causing both of them to lose their footings and tumbled over the edge of the walkway. Cloud turned and quickly grabbed onto a rusted pipe sticking out of the edge of the walkway while Angelina grabbed onto another rusted pipe next to him, their weapons which they both use to fight the AirBuster seconds ago fell from their grasp and down to the slums below.

Tifa glance up, saw both Cloud and Angelina dangling/holding on the edge of the walkway for their lives with a horrified expression on her face and hurried to the edge of the walkway on her side and leaned down, holding out her arm to try to reach out for them but they're slightly out of reach of her outstretched arm.

"It's gonna blow!" Barret called out from behind her. "Let's go, Tifa!"

"We can't leave them, Barret!" said Tifa worriedly to him. "Can't you do something?"

"Not a damn thing." replied Barret with a shake of his head.

"Cloud, Angie! Please don't die! You two can't die yet! There's still so much that Laina and I want to tell you both!" said Tifa to them, her eyes filled up with tears.

"We know that, Tifa…" replied Cloud to her.

"We're not going to die that easily, Tifa!" said Angelina, trying to reassured her.

"Hey, you two better survive this, got it?" Barret yelled down at them and received grudging nods from them as they glance up at him.

Soon a huge and loud explosion occurred from the inner reactor and causes the outer area, including the T-junction walkway to shake violently. The violent shaking of the walkway from the explosion causes the rusted pipes on the edge of the walkway which Cloud and Angelina hold on tightly broke apart and they began to fall down from it into the slums below, away from Barret and Tifa. Tifa cried out when she saw them fall until Barret grabbed hold of her and quickly dragged her away from the walkway to safety before the explosion could finish them off.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Meeting Aeris Gainsborough**

"… _Are you two alright? ...Can you two hear me?"_

The same unknown male voice called out faintly within Cloud and Angelina's heads as they both remained motionless on the ground. Despite their now motionless state, they can still hear the unknown male's voice but they still don't recognize it.

"… _Yeah…_ " mumbled both Cloud and Angelina weakly to the voice.

" _Back then…"_ the unknown male voice continued. " _The two of you could get by with just skinned knees…"_

"… _Huh?_ " said Angelina, confused.

"… _What do you mean by "back then"?_ " Cloud asked the voice, confused as well.

" _What about now? Can you two get up?"_ the unknown male voice asked them instead of answering their previous question.

"… _What do you mean by "that time"?_ " Cloud insisted while Angelina kept silent. _"…What about now?_ "

"… _Don't worry about me. You two should worry about yourselves first."_ said the unknown male voice to them.

"… _Alright._ " said Angelina.

"… _We'll give it a try._ " said Cloud.

"Oh, it moved!" said another voice suddenly while nearby them, a female voice this time.

"… _How about that?"_ said the unknown male voice. "… _Take it slowly now, you two. Little by little…"_

"Hello, hello, can you two hear me?" said the female voice.

"… _We know that. Hey…who are you?"_ Cloud asked the unknown male voice but the voice had already gone silent.

"Hello, hello?" said the female voice, repeating some of her previous words to them and both Cloud and Angelina wearily opened their eyes only to close them again from the bright light of the sun high above them before opening them slowly this time. After their eyes adjusted to the sun, Cloud and Angelina jerked their bodies slightly and sat up and they both groaned out when they felt aches on parts of their bodies and slight pains behind their heads, as though they had landed on something hard. Then they both remembered what had happened to them. They remembered that they were hanging on the edge of the walkway for their lives when the mako reactor exploded, causing the walkway to shook violently and they lose their grips on the walkway edge before they both fell down to the slums below with Tifa glancing down at them with a horrified look on her face and unshed tears in her brown eyes, crashing through something hard on their backs and landed heavily on the ground before they both loses consciousness, only to be awakened moments later by the sound of the same unknown male voice which they heard yesterday when he set the bomb on mako reactor 1 and the sound of another voice, a female voice.

"Are you two okay?" the female voice asked gently from behind them and both Cloud and Angelina turned their heads to glance up at her and they both see that it's the same pretty, fair-skinned, emerald eyes woman with her waist-length brown hair tied up with a magenta ribbon behind her head and wearing the same sleeveless pink dress with a red bolero jacket over it, short brown boots on her legs and metal bangles on her wrists.

"Where are…we?" Cloud asked the woman.

"You two are now within a church in the Sector 5 slums." replied the woman. "The two of you suddenly came crashing down through the roof from above. Really gave me quite a scare there."

"…We came crashing down?" said Cloud.

"Well, duh." said Angelina, giving him an "It-should-be-obvious" look. "Right after the mako reactor blew up, remember?"

Cloud turned his head from the woman to glance at Angelina with a scowled look on his face. The woman then nodded her head before letting out a small sigh. "Strangely, you two aren't the only two persons who came crashing down to the church from above."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" said Angelina as she glance up at the woman, confused.

"The roof and the flower bed must have broken your falls." said the woman, dodging Angelina's question. "You two are lucky. Very lucky."

"Flower bed?" said Cloud, confused. Both he and Angelina then glance down and saw dozens of white and yellow flowers lying around them while some which lies under them and their sword, naginata weapons (which also fell from above before them) were crushed flat utterly. Cloud and Angelina quickly grabbed their weapons and scrambled to their feet so as not to crush anymore flowers.

"Sorry about that." Cloud apologized to the woman.

"Really sorry." said Angelina, apologizing to her as well.

"That's all right." replied the woman as she smiled gently at them both before glancing down at the flower bed. "The flowers here are quite resilient because this is a sacred place." The woman then turned away from both Cloud and Angelina to looked around the church. "They say that you can't grow either grass or flowers in Midgar. But for some reason, the flowers have no problem blooming here. That's why… I love it here."

Cloud looked over at Angelina, both of them exchanging glances and shrugged their shoulders before they both looked back at the woman as she turned around, went toward the flower bed and kneel down by the side of it to pull out some of the small weeds growing there while healing the flowers which got flatten by Cloud and Angelina (to their surprise).

"…So, we meet again." the woman said to them suddenly. Cloud glance down at the woman in surprised confusion while Angelina finally remember at where they both saw this woman. The woman (who's now finished tending the flatten flowers) glance up at them, saw Cloud's confused look and Angelina's "Now-I-remember-where-I-saw-you" look. She gave Angelina a small smile (which Angelina smiled back) before standing up and gave Cloud a look of dismay.

"…Don't you remember me?" The woman asked Cloud. Cloud turned away from her and Angelina, crossed his arms and began to think back for a moment, trying to remember where he and Angelina met this woman before. At first he couldn't remember until Angelina went over to him and told him on where they saw her before. He nodded to Angelina before they both turned back to her.

"Yeah, I remember now. After Angie told me…" said Cloud. "You were selling these flowers to people above the plate."

"Oh! I'm glad that you finally remember!" said the woman happily with a bright smile on her face. "And thanks for buying my flowers!"

The woman then kneel back down and began to pull out more weeds from the flower bed. After a few seconds, she stopped and glance up at Cloud. Angelina noticed it and began to feel a little jealous.

"Say, you two?" the woman asked them. "Do you two have any materia?"

"Yeah, we have some." replied Cloud with a tilt of his head. "Nowadays, you could find them lying anywhere."

"Why do you ask?" said Angelina in a suspicious tone.

"Well, because I have one too, right here." the woman told them before she turned to the side, raised her hand and pointed to a small, white pebble-sized materia tucked safely within her magenta ribbon on her hair for them to see. Both Cloud and Angelina were soon intrigued by the white pebble-sized materia within her magenta ribbon, the both of them along with the others had seen their fair share of materia before but none of them are close to the one the woman had.

"But mine is special." the woman continue. "It's good for absolutely nothing."

"…Good for nothing?" Cloud said to her.

"Maybe you just don't know how to use it yet." Angelina said to her.

The woman shook her head. "No, I do know how… Just that it doesn't do anything. I feel safe just having it. It was my mother's…" the woman paused for a moment and raised her face to look up at the church ceiling while Cloud and Angelina just stared at her, confused slightly. The woman then glance back down to them and smiled at them. "Say, I feel like talking. Do you two feel up to it? After all, here we are meeting again, right?"

"Actually, we…" said Angelina, about to tell the woman that they were about to leave when Cloud cut off her words.

"I guess we could, for a while. Right, Angie?" Cloud asked her.

"…Yeah, sure. Why not?" replied Angelina.

"Well then, wait here, you two." The woman told them. "I've got to check on my flowers. It'll just be a minute."

After saying that, the woman then turned and walked swiftly to the other side of the flowerbed, checking the flowerbed before kneeling down and began to picked out more small weeds from it. While she was doing that, Cloud and Angelina took the time to survey the interior of the church they're now in. The church had clearly been abandoned and unused by people for years, as evident by the amount of dust covering the broken, crumbling benches and the cracked/broken wooden floor. Finished in surveying the interior of the church, Cloud and Angelina then went over to the woman, who's still kneeling on the ground and tending the flowerbed.

"Just a little longer…" Cloud and Angelina heard her muttered under her breath after they approach her before they had to step back a little when she suddenly stood up and turned around to faced them. "Oh! I almost forgot… I haven't introduced myself to you two yet, isn't it? My name is Aeris Gainsborough, the flower girl, nice to meet you two. What's both your names?"

"Us?" said Cloud before he nodded to her and introduced themselves to her. "The name's Cloud Strife and this is my childhood friend/partner, Angelina Pierce."

As Cloud began talking to the woman named Aeris, Angelina felt jealous at seeing him talking to her and turned her head away to her right only to see three people dressed in black suits with white shirts underneath, black ties and shoes came into the church. As they walk nearer to them, Angelina noticed that two of them is the same two people who helped in bringing the president away from the mako reactor before it blew up. The man's black suit was slightly rumpled and his white shirt underneath was slightly untucked, his spiky red hair, which is tied up into a ponytail behind his head is long and unkempt, his eyes were pale green with two symmetrical red marks/tattoo under his eyes and he had goggles on the top of his head. The other man behind him had the same spiky red hair as him but his hair is short (about shoulder-length) and his black suit outfit is as rumpled/untucked as the one before him. The young woman behind them both also dressed like them, with shoulder-length chestnut hair, warm brown eyes and looked very much like their soldier friend, Laina Donovan. Angelina then heard footsteps approach from behind her before stopping next to her and she briefly turned her head to see that it's Cloud.

"I don't know who you three are, but…" Cloud began saying when he suddenly trailed off, hearing the unknown man's voice talking followed by a buzzing sound which made him winced in his mind again. So do Angelina.

"… _I know you."_

"Oh yeah… that's right." Angelina continue where Cloud left off after the voice and the buzzing sound fade from both their minds. "We know you, one of you, at least. Those black suit uniforms you three are wearing, you three are members of Turks, right?"

"So what if we are, missy?" said the guy with short, spiky red hair.

"Then, could your name be Phemie Donovan, Laina's younger sister, perhaps?" asked Angelina as she glance at the young woman named Phemie past the short, spiky red hair guy, who looked surprised for a second before her face turned calm again. Before any of them could say another word, the door to the church behind the three Turks burst open and three more people came in, this time they're security guards, clad in their light blue uniforms and each of them armed with assault rifles. Aeris saw the rifles in the security guards hands and inched her way closer to Cloud and Angelina's back, cowering behind them.

"Hey sis, those two in front of you are a little weird." said one of the security guard to Aeris.

"Shut up, all you Shinra spies!" Cloud yelled in anger, glaring at them.

"Reno, Crisis. Want to take them out?" another security guard asked the two red, spiky-haired guys. The guy named Reno slowly turned his head to glance at the security guards behind him while the other guy named Crisis kept on staring at Cloud, Angelina and Aeris with a small sigh, his expression unchanged.

"We haven't decided yet." replied Reno as he flicked a lock of his red hair behind his ear.

"Don't fight here! You'll ruin the flowers here!" Aeris cried out suddenly from behind Cloud and Angelina, causing them both to jumped slightly and glance back at her. After saying that, Aeris turned and ran away from Cloud and Angelina toward a door which leads to the back of the church. "Hurry, you two! The exit is back here!" Aeris called to Cloud and Angelina before she opened the door and run through it.

Both Cloud and Angelina glance back at the three Turks named Reno, Crisis, Phemie and the three security guards behind them (who's laughing now) before they both turned and run after Aeris. They went through the door and Angelina quickly slammed it shut behind her.

XXXX

Phemie Donovan (younger sister of Laina Donovan) had a surprised look on her face for the second time in the old church when she saw the huge sword strapped to the back of the young, spiky blonde hair guy wearing a black shirt with black baggy pants as he and the young, brown-haired woman (who's wearing the same outfit as him) left them and went through the door at the back of the church after Aeris before closing it behind them. She would recognized that sword anywhere.

" _That sword… It belongs to Zack Fair, the man which my older sister love! Why is it with that guy now? But if Zack's sword is with him now, then that means that Zack is truly… "_

"Phemie…" Crisis voice said to her but she's lost in her thoughts to hear him.

"… _And what about Laina, my older sister? Is she still alive or not? 2 years ago she told Crisis to tell me to wait for her and I did waited for her like a dutiful girl. But she didn't come for me at all! Has she been lying to me?"_

"Phemie!" Crisis voice called to her again, a little louder this time and she jolted for a second before glancing over at Crisis.

"Yes, Crisis?" Phemie said to him.

"What's wrong, Phemie?" said Crisis. "You looked lost in thought there."

"Sorry, Crisis. I just…" Phemie began saying but she got cut off by Reno's next words.

"Yeah, all right. Let's get back to work and take that woman into Shinra custody. President's orders." Reno told them (which made both Phemie and Crisis rolled their eyes) before he turned and went toward the back door of the church. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks, pondered for a moment and turned around to them.

"Oh! And don't step on these flowers…" Reno told them before he turned around again, flicking a lock of his red hair behind his ear. The three Shinra securities stared at him over Phemie and Crisis shoulders with incredulous looks.

"Hey, Reno! You just stepped on them!"

"They're now ruined by you!"

"You're gonna catch holy hell soon!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Escaping from the church**

After Aeris, Cloud and Angelina went through the back door of the church and Angelina closed it behind them, they saw that the condition of the back hall of the church is even worse than the front of it. Some of the wooden staircases which led up to the church balcony/roof were broken apart while others hung in mid-air with parts of their stair counterparts lay in a broken heap on the dusty wooden floor. Even so, they couldn't just wait and let themselves get caught by the Turks and their fellow securities.

"Which way now?" Cloud asked Aeris as he and Angelina glance around the back hall of the church.

"This way, you two. Come with me." Aeris told them before she ran to the end of the floor and jumped over the ledge before going up the stairs that led up to the next floor. Cloud and Angelina exchange glances with each other, both of them wondering why this woman named Aeris was in such a hurry to get away from those Turks and security people or why they're after her in the first place. Cloud shrugged his shoulder while Angelina let out a small sigh before they jumped over the ledge as well and run up the stairs after her. But when they reached a large gap on the wooden floor in front of them, which was a long drop/fall to the bottom of the church, they had no choice but to stopped in their tracks.

"There they are, up there!" yelled a voice.

Cloud, Angelina and Aeris heard the voice and looked down the large gap on the wooden floor as they saw the door burst open inward to reveal Reno, Crisis, Phemie and the three securities running in, looking around the back hall of the church for Aeris and one of the security soon spotted her on the floor above with Cloud and Angelina.

"Cloud, Angelina… They're here!" said Aeris to the both of them in a fearful tone.

"We know, Aeris." Cloud told her with a nod of his head. "Looks like they aren't going to let us go that easily."

"What should we do?" Aeris asked them.

Angelina turned to her while Cloud continue staring down at the Turks and securities. "Well, we can't just wait and let them catch up to us, can we, Aeris?" Angelina told her and she nodded back. "Then there's only one thing left we can do."

Angelina turned back to Cloud, who glance away from their enemies below to both Angelina and Aeris, nodded to them before he took a few steps backward and then run forward to the large gap and jumped over it. He landed on the other side of the gap quite easily before standing and turning around to signalled them to come. Angelina nodded, took a few steps backward, run and jumped over the gap as well and landed next to Cloud before standing and turning to glance at Aeris.

"Aeris! This way!" said Cloud to her, out loud.

"Hurry!" said Angelina to her, out loud as well.

Aeris stepped forward to the edge of the large gap and looked down at it to the ground below, gulped slightly before glancing up at both Cloud and Angelina and shook her head, not wanting to take the risk in jumping and falling down into the hands of her pursuers.

"All right." said Cloud with a small sigh. "You just stay there while Angie and I hold them off."

"Right." replied Aeris. "Make sure they don't get through!"

"You are not getting away from us that easily, Ancient!" Reno yelled up at her in anger before turning to the three securities behind him. "Don't let her get away! Attack! Attack! Attack!"

All three of the securities raised their assault rifles and aimed for the top wooden floor which Aeris stood on before they opened fire on it, causing the wooden floor to slowly break apart and shook violently from the bullets impact and for Aeris to struggle to keep her balance. Soon the wooden floor collapsed and Aeris fell and tumbled down the edge of the wooden floor, away from Cloud and Angelina.

"Eaygh!" Aeris scream as she fell down.

"Aeris!" Cloud yelled out.

"Goddammit!" Angelina cursed as she and Cloud watched as Aeris fell down away from them, past the Turks and securities until she landed on the basement floor of the church, helpless and vulnerable.

" _Did they killed her? I hope not."_ Thought Reno as he, Crisis and Phemie stared down at Aeris. _"They shouldn't have put up a fight, I say!"_

"Come on, Phemie." said Crisis. "Let's go get her."

"Right, Crisis." replied Phemie with a nod of her head.

"Let us do it instead!" said one of the securities to both Crisis and Phemie and before they could say anything to them, the three securities immediately split up into three different directions in the church. The first security guard ran to the edge, jumped down and landed on the basement floor where Aeris is. She stood up and saw with fearful eyes as the security guard began to approach her with the assault rifle pointed at her in his hands.

"Cloud, Angelina, help!" Aeris cried out.

Cloud and Angelina, who's still standing on the top floor, looked down helplessly (at first) as one of the Shinra security guard began to approach Aeris.

"Damn!" Cloud cursed out.

"I'll go down and help her, Cloud!" Angelina told him as she take her naginata from her back, jumped down from the church floor above and landed safely between Aeris and the security guard before standing and turning to faced the security guard, raising and pointing her naginata at him.

"Get out of the way, girl." said the security guard rudely to Angelina.

"Sorry, no can do, buddy." replied Angelina rudely back to him.

"Fine, then." said the security guard as he began to open fire at her with his assault rifle. Angelina quickly pushed Aeris away from her before she dodged away from the bullets, run to the security guard with her naginata raised up and swung it down on him, hard. The security yelled in pain from the naginata strike before he dropped his assault rifle and fell to the ground, unconscious. Angelina stared down at the unconscious security guard for a moment before turning and walking toward Aeris, who's still looking a little frighten.

"Come on, let's go!" Angelina told her with a firm tone of voice and slowly Aeris looked at her and nodded. Angelina grabbed her hand and they both ran up the stairs from the basement floor to the ground floor.

Cloud meanwhile, was busy climbing/walking up the final set of old, dusty stairs which led up to the attic beams that crossed over the whole of the inner church roof after Angelina jumped down to helped Aeris out. As he climbed on, one of the stair steps broke under his weight and he nearly fell down from it to the floor below if he hadn't had a tight grip on the stairs. He steady himself and resumed his climbing/walking up the stairs and reached the beams above. The beams looked old and dusty but they're still sturdy/strong enough to support him. He then waited on the beams while staring down at both Angelina and Aeris.

As Angelina and Aeris went up the stairs to the ground floor, they looked up and saw a second security guard standing and waiting a few feet in front of them on the stairs with his assault rifle pointed down at them. Angelina swiftly charge forward to the second security guard and take him down with her naginata before he could open fire on her and Aeris. Once Angelina took down the second security guard, she and Aeris quickly ran up the stairs to the ground floor and went up another stairs directly leading to the top floor beneath Cloud. Here they both saw the third and final security guard standing in their way on the stairs and Angelina wasted no time in taking him out with her naginata. He yelled in pain and fell face down on the stairs and both Angelina and Aeris run past him to the top floor, jumped over the large gap on the floor to the other side and they climbed up the old stairs to the attic beams above where Cloud is waiting.

"Come on, this way." Cloud told them both before he turned and they walked on the attic beams carefully toward the large hole on the church roof, created by himself and Angelina when they both fell from the large plate above. Angelina noticed that there's another large hole next to the one they make when they fell down from above.

" _When we were lying down there on the flower bed, Aeris did say that the both of us weren't the only two persons who came crashing down into her church. Just who are the other two persons she's talking about and are they the ones who created that large hole next to ours?"_ thought Angelina to herself as she stared at the large hole next to the one she and Cloud causes when they fell.

"Angie, come on!" Cloud called to her after he let Aeris go through the hole first and turned to look at Angelina. His voice jolted her and she glance at him before quickly went through the hole after Aeris and Cloud soon followed suit behind them both.

XXXX

After Cloud, Angelina and Aeris went through the large hole and stood on the red-slated roof, the three of them decided to sit down and rest, catching their breath for a while.

" _So far, the Turks and their securities haven't followed us up here to the roof. But that doesn't mean that they have given up on taking Aeris captive. People like them will come back for us, sooner or later."_ thought Cloud to himself.

"Ha, ha…" Aeris chuckled a little as she glance down the large hole at their enemies below. "They're still looking for me again."

"You mean that this isn't the first time they've been after you?" asked Angelina as she glance at Aeris.

"…No." replied Aeris as she pulled her knees up close to her chest, wrapped her arms around them and lay her chin down on her kneecaps with a serious/solemn look on her face. "Who are they, actually?" Aeris asked them both.

"Hmm…" said Cloud as he glance at her. "They're the Turks."

"The Turks?" said Aeris, frowning.

"The Turks are one of an organization within Shinra company." Cloud told/explain to her. "They scouted around Midgar and other places outside Midgar for possible candidates for SOLDIER."

"They would do it this forcefully and violently?" said Aeris in surprise as she glance up at Cloud. "They looked as if they were about to kidnapped me."

"You might be right, Aeris." said Angelina. "Not only that, they're also involved in a lot of other dirty, underhanded stuff on the side. Like spying or even… murder."

"Maybe, Angelina." said Aeris gravely as she glance away from Cloud and Angelina to glance back down at the large hole. "They do look like it." Aeris then close her eyes and take a deep breath to calm her nerves down.

"But why were they after you?" Cloud asked her. "There must be a reason, isn't it?"

"No, not really." replied Aeris quickly (which instantly made Angelina suspicious of her) before she opened her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe they think that I have what it takes to be in SOLDIER!"

"Hmm…" said Cloud as he scrutinized her from top to bottom. "Maybe you do."

"But do you want to join SOLDIER?" Angelina asked her.

"I don't know." Aeris admitted with a shake of her head. "But I don't want to get caught by those TURKS people!"

"Then let's get going!" Cloud said to her before he and Angelina stood up. Aeris stood up as well (albeit slower than them) and together they began to turn to their right and head off away from the church before the Turks and the securities come after them.

Cloud took the lead in front of Angelina and Aeris as they jumped/sprinted from one rooftop to another a few feet at a time while he kept a cautious eye out for anyone wandering around outside on the ground below them as they continue their jumping/sprinting. As sad as it seems to him, there were many people in the slums who would turn other people which they don't trust to the Shinra authorities in the hopes that they would get rewarded or mugged them of their precious gil and other valuable stuffs. So Cloud kept up a quick pace as he jump/sprint from rooftop to rooftop, trying to look for a safe enough place for them to jumped down (Angelina neatly kept up the pace behind him while Aeris was quite far behind them both, which they didn't noticed).

"Wait up, you two…" Aeris's voice called out faintly behind them. "Wait, I said!"

Both Cloud and Angelina stopped in their tracks on a metal panel and turned around to look behind them at Aeris, who was standing on the edge of a large chunk of rusted metal over a small drop a few feet behind them. She was swinging her arms back and forth before carefully jumped down from the edge of the rusted metal and sprinted over to where Cloud and Angelina were waiting. Once she's finally reached them, she leaned over and placed her hands on her knees, panting/wheezing heavily.

"Puff… wheeze…" Aeris panted heavily, trying to rest and catch her breath. "Slow… down… you two… Don't leave me…"

"Funny…" said Cloud with a tilt of his head. "Didn't you just told me and Angie that you were cut out to be in SOLDIER?"

Aeris heard that and immediately pushed herself up from her tired state to glared at him. "Oh! You're terrible!"

"You have no idea, Aeris." said Angelina as she watch with slight amusement at both Cloud and Aeris glaring at each other before all three of them broke out into a fit of laughter. After a few seconds, Aeris stopped laughing and looked up at Cloud's face which made him stopped laughing too and he glance down at her (which also made Angelina stopped laughing and made her feel a little jealous).

"Hey… Cloud, Angelina," said Aeris suddenly to them. "Were you two… ever in SOLDIER?"

Cloud lapsed into silence and exchange glances with Angelina next to him, who shrugged her shoulders at him. "…We used to be." Cloud told her. "How did you guess?"

"From your eyes, of course." replied Aeris as she raised her hand and pointed at his eyes. "They have a strange blue glow. And also, even though your eyes is violet in colour instead of blue like his, I know that you were a member of SOLDIER, Angelina."

" _How observant and perceptive you are, Aeris._ " thought Angelina to herself as she glance at Aeris.

"…That's the sign of those who have been infused with mako." Cloud told her. "A mark of a SOLDIER. But how did you know about that, Aeris?"

"…Oh, nothing." said Aeris as she shook her head lightly.

" _She dodging the question again. Just what is it she can't tell us about?"_ thought Angelina as she glance suspiciously at Aeris again.

"…Nothing?" said Cloud with a confused look on his face.

"Right, nothing!" said Aeris as she nodded her head firmly before pointing her finger onward. "Come on! Let's keep on going!"

Both Cloud and Angelina let out small sighs before Cloud nodded down to Aeris and they turned around to carry on their jumping/sprinting from one rooftop to another. Aeris followed behind them but pretty soon she's falling far behind them once again, unable to keep up with their pace.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Heading to Aeris house**

After a while of all three of them jumping/sprinting from one rooftop to another, Cloud finally spotted a space below them down to the street of the slums which they could descended safely but he also saw a lone man walked slowly on the street and across the space where they could jumped down and he quickly raised his left arm and halted both Angelina and Aeris in their tracks until the man is gone. Once they saw the lone man walked out of sight, they jumped down one by one from the rooftop and landed safely on the space/ground of the street.

"Whew! We finally made it off!" Aeris exclaimed quite happily (and relieved) to Cloud and Angelina. "Now what…"

Cloud and Angelina watch as Aeris turned left then right suddenly before she run to her right a few feet away from them, stopped and turned around to glance back at them. "My house is this way, you two." Aeris told them both. "Let's hurry on before they come and spotted us."

Cloud and Angelina nodded before they ran after Aeris who turned around and ran down the path toward the Sector 5 slums. Along the way, Cloud and Angelina had to fight and protect Aeris from several monsters ( _Hedgehog Pie, Fly Eye and Worm/Caterpillar monsters_ ) which lived within parts of the slum where no one lives and defeated/killed them before they quickly moved on and finally reached Sector 5 slums. When they arrived in Sector 5 slums, Cloud and Angelina looked around and see that Sector 5 is almost exactly the same as the other Sectors under the large plate. Several old, metallic looking homes spread out among the various corners of Sector 5 with several old marketplace/shops selling minor items like potions, ribbons and other materials. Kids in ragged, torn-looking clothes run here and there about Sector 5 with wooden sticks and other playthings in their hands as they played with other kids and some stray yet friendly dogs while their parents (also wearing torn-looking clothes) watched them in case of danger.

Aeris led them both away from the Sector 5 slums and its people, down a dirt path to the north until they reached her house and both Cloud and Angelina were quite amazed at what they saw before them. Aeris house is quite a simple yet beautiful two-storey house with dark brown walls, brown pinewood door, clean and clear windows and a high red-coloured brick rooftop (and some flower pots with flowers in it lying on a small balcony on the red rooftop). And next to the house, Cloud and Angelina could see two gardens filled with many white and yellow flowers just like the ones they saw back at her church, with a wooden staircase against the side of it for Aeris to walked up and watered them everyday.

Aeris went toward the door, opened it and beckoned both Cloud and Angelina to come in with her. They went in, looked around the interior of her house and see that it was just as simple and comfortable-looking as the outside of her house. The interior of her house was neatly decorated with a semi-large, round table standing on the light brown-coloured floor in the center of the room with a white tablecloth and a vase with flowers on it, two cabinets on its left with many thick leather books in it, a rectangular table lying against the white-coloured wall on its right with some photographs on it and some paintings hanging on the wall. A small kitchen was to their right with a large, single brown-coloured cabinet with plates and cups in it.

"I'm home, mom." Aeris called out to her mother as she (along with Cloud and Angelina behind her) stood inside the house.

"Aeris?" said a woman voice from within the kitchen and soon Cloud and Angelina saw a quite elderly-looking, short dark-brown-haired woman wearing a long green dress with a white apron on it came out of the kitchen, into the center of the room. When she saw Aeris, she quickly went over to her and embraced her warmly with a relieved look in her brown eyes.

"Aeris. Who are these two people?" the woman asked her with a cautious tone in her voice as she glance at both Cloud and Angelina over Aeris's shoulder.

"Oh? This is Cloud, my bodyguard and his close friend, Angelina." Aeris introduced them both to her mother before looking over her shoulder at them. "Cloud, Angelina, this is my mother, Elmyra Gainsborough."

"Bodyguard…? You mean that you were being followed by them again?!" said Elmyra worriedly to Aeris and she began checking her all over. "Are you all right?! You're not hurt, are you?!"

"I'm all right, mom." said Aeris in a reassuring tone to Elmyra. "I had Cloud and Angelina with me."

Elmyra looked over at both Cloud and Angelina again, this time closely and gravely before her grave expression turned to a grateful smile and she gently bowed to the both of them.

"Thank you, both of you." said Elmyra.

"Uh, it was no problem, Mrs Gainsborough." replied Angelina with an embarrassed smile. Elmyra nodded to them both before turning away from them and went up the stairs to the second floor above. When she's gone from their sight, Aeris turned to look at both Cloud and Angelina.

"So what are you two going to do now?" Aeris asked them.

"Is Sector 7 far from here?" said Cloud. "Angie and I want to get back to Tifa's bar quickly."

"Yeah, he's right." said Angelina with a nod of her head.

"Is Tifa… a girl?" Aeris asked him, her eyebrow raised up.

"Yeah." replied Cloud with a nod of his head.

"A… girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?" said Cloud confusedly before he shook his head. "No way!"

"Tifa's just a childhood friend of ours, Aeris. That's all." said Angelina before chuckling at Cloud (while inside her heart she's feeling a little mad/jealous at Aeris for saying that to Cloud then a little relieved when she heard Cloud denied it), who's now a little embarrassed and look away from them both.

Aeris smiled then chuckled along with Angelina before they stopped chuckling at poor, embarrassed Cloud and Aeris continue talking to him.

"You don't have to get THAT upset, Cloud." said Aeris. "Well, that's…nice. Let's see, Sector 7? I'll show you two the way there."

"No, that's okay, Aeris." said Angelina with a wave of her hand. "We can find the way there ourselves."

"Angie's right. And besides…" Cloud said to Aeris. "You'll put yourself in danger if you followed us both."

"That's okay. I'm used to it." said Aeris, shrugging her shoulders.

"Used to it!?" said Cloud, shocked at her. (Even Angelina, who's standing next to him, also looked quite surprised at Aeris). He lapsed into silence and folded his arms for a few seconds. "…Well, I don't know, Aeris… It's still dangerous…"

"Well, I'm going to take you both there whether you like it or not!" said Aeris sternly to Cloud before she turned to the stairs and called out to Elmyra. "Mom! I'm going to take both Cloud and Angelina to Sector 7 now! I'll be back in a while!"

"But dear…" Elmyra began to protest to Aeris when she heard her words and quickly came down the stairs but soon realised that her words were futile when she saw the determined look on her face. "I give up. You never listen once you've made up your mind." said Elmyra with a sigh. "But if you must go, why don't you go tomorrow? It's getting quite late now."

"Yeah, you're right, mom." Aeris agreed with a nod of her head.

"Then it's settled." said Elmyra, looking relieved. "Aeris, please go and make the beds in the guestrooms upstairs so that Cloud and Angelina can sleep in there tonight."

Aeris nodded to her mother before she walked away from them and went up the stairs to make the beds for Cloud and Angelina. Cloud and Angelina watched her go up the stairs until she's out of their sights, looked back down and they saw Elmyra looking directly at them with the same grave and serious expression like before which instantly made them uncomfortable.

"That glow in your eyes…" Elmyra whispered, staring at Cloud. "You're from SOLDIER, right?"

"Yeah." replied Cloud. "Or rather, we used to be…"

"This young girl next to you is also from SOLDIER?" said Elmyra as she glances over at Angelina, surprised. "But her eyes…"

"Yeah, I know, Mrs Gainsborough." said Angelina with a small sigh. "My eyes is violet in colour instead of glowing blue like Cloud. They used to be crimson in colour until I joined up as a SOLDIER member with Cloud years ago and when I got infused with mako energy, the blue mako mixed with my crimson eye colour and now it's violet in colour."

"Oh." said Elmyra as she take a deep breath, close her eyes and when she opened them to looked at Cloud and Angelina again, her grave/serious expression change into a firm yet regretful look.

"… I don't know how to say this, but… would you two please leave here tonight? Without telling Aeris."

"Huh?" said Cloud as he stared at Elmyra, slightly confused.

"Why, Mrs Gainsborough?" said Angelina.

"It's nothing personal, just that…" continue Elmyra. "I don't want to see her getting all upset again over a broken promise from two persons who promised her before…"

"Who are those two persons?" Angelina asked Elmyra.

"I heard that they're…" Elmyra began to tell them but she got cut off mid-sentence by Aeris's voice calling for them from upstairs.

"Mom, I'm done!" Aeris called down to Elmyra from above.

"All right, dear!" Elmyra answer back to Aeris, staring at both Cloud and Angelina for a few seconds more before she shook her head to tell them she's not going to say anything anymore before she turned and went into the kitchen. Cloud and Angelina stared at her, both of them wanted her to resumed what she just said to them but their fatigue choose that moment to set in to their bodies so they had no choice but to turned and went up the stairs to their guest rooms.

Aeris was waiting for them outside of the guestrooms when they came up and she walked over to them. "You two need to go through Sector 6 to get to Sector 7." Aeris told them both. "Sector 6 is a little dangerous so you two better get some rest tonight."

Slowly, both Cloud and Angelina nodded to her before they went past her toward their rooms (the second and third rooms next to Elmyra's room).

"Cloud… Angelina…" said Aeris quietly to them and they both stopped and turned their heads to look at her.

"Yes, what is it, Aeris?" Angelina asked her.

"Goodnight, you two." replied Aeris before she turned and went down the stairs to the room below.

"Oh, man…" Cloud groaned lightly as he thought back to what Elmyra just told him and Angelina. He turned around and glance at Angelina who gave him an "We'll-sneak-out-quietly-later" look before they wished each other good nights, went into their rooms, dropped onto the beds and fell asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Wall Market**

As Cloud closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep on the bed in one of the two guest rooms in Aeris house, the same male voice invaded his mind again a few hours later.

"… _Seems pretty tired…"_ said the unknown male voice.

"…!?"

Cloud instantly woke up from his slumber when he heard the male voice in his mind again.

" _I haven't slept in a bed like this… in a long time."_

"…Oh, yeah," Cloud muttered silently to the male voice in his mind, trying to ignore it but to no avail.

" _Even since that time."_

XXXX

" _My, how you've grown," said the woman voice. "I'll bet that some girls who live in Midgar city never leave you alone."_

 _Cloud didn't looked away from the ceiling while he lay on his single blue bed at his mother (named Diana Strife) as she came toward him with a gentle smile on her slightly elderly yet fair-looking face and pale blue eyes._

"… _Not really." replied Cloud lazily to her._

" _I'm worried about you, Cloud." said Diana with a concern look on her face. "I heard that there are a lot of temptation in the city… I'd feel a whole lot better if you just settled down and had a nice girlfriend."_

" _I'm all right, mom." replied Cloud with a heavy sigh._

" _You should have… an older girlfriend," Diana continue. "One that'll take care of you. Or how about those childhood friends of yours, Tifa Lockhart and Angelina Pierce, is it? I think they would be the perfect types for you, Cloud."_

" _I'm not interested, mom." Cloud told her. "_ Not yet, anyway. _" Cloud added in his thought._

 _XXXX_

Cloud snapped his eyes open and awake again before he glance blankly up and around the unfamiliar room he's in and he remembers where he is while shaking his head lightly.

"… I must have fallen asleep." Cloud whispered quietly to himself before he stood up from the single bed, walked toward the door of the room and paused for a second before the door. "Sector 7's past Sector 6… Angie and I should be fine in going there by ourselves…"

He open the door quietly, went out and close the door quietly behind him before he turn to the left and quietly open the door to the other guestroom next to his and woke Angelina up by shaking her shoulder a few times. She woke up (with an uncomfortable look on her face) and pretty soon the both of them close the door quietly behind them (with their weapons strapped behind them), treaded carefully across the wooden floor past Aeris's room, went down the stairs (which creaked with every step they take and they hope that Aeris didn't hear it which fortunately for them both, she didn't), walked across the center living room, sneaked out the door (which Elmyra unlocked for them during the night) and slipped off toward the now silent Sector 5 slums.

Cloud and Angelina turn right and went past the silent slum houses and its residents sleeping soundly inside their houses, toward the huge metallic wall with a large hole at the bottom of it that bordered between Sector 5 and 6. But as they approach the wall, they were shocked to see Aeris there, waiting for them with a smile on her face (they also noticed that she had brought along a long staff weapon behind her back).

"Good morning, Cloud, Angelina." Aeris greeted them. "You two are up bright and early."

"What the?! How did you get ahead of us so fast?" said Angelina with a shocked look on her face.

"I took a shortcut, of course." replied Aeris with a _DUH!_ expression on her face.

Cloud sighed and shake his head at Aeris. "How could we ask you to follow us when we already knew that it's dangerous for you?" Cloud told her, neglected to tell her that it was her mother, Elmyra, who told them both to leave without telling her or letting her know.

"Are you done now?" said Aeris and Cloud scratched the back of his head nervously while Angelina scowled at Aeris which she ignored. "Like I told you two last night, you two have to go through the slum in Sector 6 to reached Tifa's Seventh Heaven. I'll take you both there. Come on!"

Before either Cloud or Angelina could stopped her, Aeris turned around and ran through the large hole in the wall on the dirt path which joined the two sectors together. Cloud stared at the hole in the wall which Aeris gone through for a moment, realised that no matter what he or Angelina say to her, she's determined to take them both to Tifa's Seventh Heaven. He glance back at Angelina, who shrugged her shoulder at him (while inside she's feeling annoyed at Aeris) before they went through the large hole and catch up to Aeris before she could get far from them.

The three of them went down a path which turns out to be a ruined and almost barren construction road yard, which had become the dumping ground where people dumped/cast aside their old machines which were no longer useful for construction work (like large cranes, old/rusted-looking digger and truck vehicles and a large metallic thing which shape eerily like a hand). No one living in the slums took the trouble to move them away so now they're a part of the dumping ground on the road yard. As Cloud, Angelina and Aeris walked across over some cranes and climbed over some rusted metal of a digger machine and a truck (while fighting some Hedgehog Pies and a Hell House monsters) which had been dumped against a wall, they jumped down from the digger and truck machine, walked safely across some more of the rusted machine junks, they went on and finally reached Sector 6.

When Cloud and Angelina arrived at Sector 6 with Aeris, the first place they both saw in Sector 6 is an old, abandoned playground consists of some giveaway signs hanging on the wire fences around the playground, old swings and a brown-colour worn-looking mog-shaped slide with its tongue rolling out of its mouth down to a sand pit in front of it. Beyond the playground they could see a large metal gate which sealed off the other Sectors beyond.

Aeris stepped forward a few steps to the old playground with Cloud and Angelina following slowly behind her before she stopped and turned around to look at them both.

"The gate to Sector 7 is over there." Aeris told them while she raised and pointed her finger at the large metal gate behind her.

"Yeah. Thanks for bringing us here, Aeris." said Angelina as she looked to where Aeris was pointing.

"I guess that this is goodbye, Aeris." said Cloud as he looked at Aeris. "You gonna be all right going home now?"

"Oh no! What ever will I do?!" Aeris suddenly cried out in a mocking fear voice, which didn't impress Cloud and made Angelina annoyed. "… Isn't that what you want me to say?"

"Of course not." said Angelina, crossing her arms.

Cloud sighed heavily. "Why don't I see you home, Aeris?"

" _What?"_ thought Angelina as she stared at Cloud in disbelief then a little anger/jealous (which he didn't noticed but Aeris did and she choose to ignore it or didn't say anything).

"But isn't that a little out of the way, Cloud?" said Aeris, pointing out the flaw in his thinking.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Cloud admitted as he scratched the back of his spiky yellow head nervously, his face turning slightly red (which made Angelina feeling more anger/jealous as she kept staring at them).

"Now that we're here, why don't we take a break?" Aeris asked them with a knowing smile on her face.

"No, we won't." Angelina snapped suddenly, causing both Cloud and Aeris to looked over at her in surprise. "Listen, we appreciate it when you guide us and bring us here from your house but it ends now! Come on, Cloud, let's go back to Seventh Heaven already! I'm sure that Tifa, Laina and maybe the others are worried and waiting for us now!"

Without waiting for their reply (or protest), Angelina went past Cloud and Aeris (who's still had surprised looks on their faces) toward the sealed off large metal gate when they all heard the sound of grating coming from the gate and it suddenly slid open to reveal a tall yellow bird (Chocobo) coming out of the gate and pulling a large, elegant-looking carriage behind it with an elderly man sitting on the carriage seat and whipping at the Chocobo whip. The Chocobo let out a loud wark sound and began to turn to its left and went away past the three of them. As it passed them, Cloud and Angelina saw a young woman dressed up in a short, bluish-purple dress which show off much of her body, had make-up on her face to make herself as pretty as possible with her long brown hair down her back. The young woman was Tifa herself.

"TIFA!?" Cloud and Angelina yelled out in disbelief when they saw her at the back of the carriage, which caused her to look up and over at them when she heard their loud voices. When she saw them both, her face lit up with joy and relief but before she could waved or called out to them, the Chocobo let out another wark sound and walked forward, pulling the carriage away from Cloud, Angelina and Aeris and also the large gate as it slid shut after the carriage leave.

"What happened, Cloud, Angelina?" Aeris asked them both. "Who was that girl standing on the carriage?"

"That was Tifa Lockhart, our childhood friend." replied Angelina.

"That girl in the carriage was Tifa?" said Aeris as she looked back and forth between Cloud and Angelina then at the place where the carriage went off to. "Where was she going? She looked kind of odd…"

Aeris nodded to herself and before Cloud or Angelina could stopped her, she run past them into Sector 6 where the carriage went into a few seconds ago. Both Cloud and Angelina had alarmed looks on their faces when they saw her run off.

"Wait, Aeris!" Angelina yelled at her.

"We'll go on to Sector 6 ourselves!" Cloud yelled at her as well. "You go on home!"

But she didn't listen to their yells and soon turned the corner and went into Sector 6. Angelina groaned with an annoyed look on her face while Cloud sighed heavily and shake his head before the both of them began to run after Aeris, find out what Tifa's doing in Sector 6 and get them both out of there.

As they went into Sector 6, they both stopped in their tracks and looked around the place (named Wall Market). The place looks exuberant, rough, dirty and violent-looking with many people dressed up like punks or gangsters wandering aimlessly here and there around the place while others strolled through the crowd arrogantly with make-up, underdressed young women under their arms. As for the buildings in Wall Market, they had been assembled and built by the people living in Wall Market using the same makeshift materials and scrap metals like the houses in other Sector slums but the only difference is that this place had rows of burning yellow bulbs/glowing neon lights along the exteriors of the buildings which change some of the buildings into bars or shops (including a gym).

Cloud and Angelina soon spotted Aeris talking to one of the male worker (wearing a dark blue T-shirt, dark green shorts and brown shoes) standing outside an inn building. They approach Aeris and noticed the male worker is shaking his head at Aeris and she looked down before looking up and over at Cloud and Angelina when she noticed them.

"My mom told me that this place is quite scary in a lot of ways. Especially for a girl." Aeris told them. "So we've got to find Tifa fast before anything bad happens to her."

"This place does look kinda unsavory, I'll admit." said Angelina before she gave Aeris an annoyed look. "But I don't like it when you doubted that Tifa's incapable of protecting herself, Aeris. And next time, don't you go off alone without us, got it?"

"Got it. And… I'm sorry." said Aeris sadly with her head lowered. Angelina instantly felt guilty for lashing out at her and apologized, which made Aeris lifted her head and gave Angelina a small smile (while Cloud watched the two of them in silence).

Cloud, Angelina and Aeris (who stay close to them this time) began to wander around the Wall Market, looking and searching from building to building to find where Tifa could be or the elegant carriage which bring her here. Since Aeris stay close to both Cloud and Angelina, who had weapons behind their backs, none of the punks, gangsters or women dared to approach them or make a move on her, Angelina or Cloud. After a while of searching/looking around Wall Market, they finally found the elegant carriage parked outside an inn building with some bright pink neon signs above the entrance of the inn named "Honey Bee Inn" with a tough-looking security guard in a black business suit standing guard at the entrance talking to an elderly man wearing a white shirt with a dark red vest over it and long, dark pants (probably the owner of the "Honey Bee Inn") with some punks/gangsters standing outside of the inn, some of them wishing that they could go in while others wished that they had the courage to go in. Cloud, Angelina and Aeris approach the inn just as the elderly man finished talking to the security guard, turned and noticed them and instantly gave them a smile.

"Welcome to the "Honey Bee Inn"!" the elderly man greeted them cheerfully. "Where all kinds of men and even unpopular dweebs like you (he pointed at Cloud) may meet your destined soulmate here! So, are you looking for a girlfriend, too?"

While the elderly man is talking to Cloud, both Angelina and Aeris saw that the punks/gangsters who were standing outside of the inn has noticed them and their faces instantly lit up with excitement and lust. Aeris inched even closer to Angelina and Cloud in fear while Angelina glared at them, effectively keeping them at bay, for now.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine who's being brought here. Her name's Tifa." Cloud told the elderly man.

"Hey, you're pretty fast, young dweeb." said the elderly man proudly. "Tifa's our newest girl. But unfortunately, she's having an interview right now. Here at the "Honey Bee Inn", it's customary for all the new girls to be taken to Don Corneo's mansion."

"Who is this Don Corneo?" Angelina asked the elderly man as she crossed her arms.

"You don't know who he is, missy?" said the elderly man with a shocked look on his face. "He's a famous businessman in charge/responsible of Wall Market in Sector 6 and he lives in a mansion at the edge of it. Right now he wants to settle down and is looking in the market for a bride."

" _Oh boy."_ thought Angelina with a deep sigh. " _What have you done, Tifa?"_

Cloud thanked the elderly man, turned and began to walked away from "Honey Bee Inn" and all the punks/gangsters, with Angelina and Aeris following behind him. They turned and headed north, pass all the shop buildings like the "Item Shop", "Albert's Dress Shop", "Big Bro's Gym", "Mike Western Cuisine" and others toward the mansion of Don Corneo.

As they arrived before the mansion, they could see that it's build quite largely and elegantly, perfect for someone who's responsible for the entire Wall Market. They also noticed another security guard wearing a pale blue T-shirt with matching pants is standing guard outside the semi-large, double doors of the mansion.

"What d'you want?" said the security guard rudely to Cloud.

"We're looking for a girl named Tifa." replied Cloud rudely back to the security guard. "We heard that she's in there with this Don Corneo person."

"Listen here, punk." said the security guard in a menacing tone. "The Don's not into men. So get lost and don't let me see you or catch you around here again…" the guard trailed off when he noticed both Angelina and Aeris and he smiled. "Hey, you got two pretty-looking girls with you!"

"Why you…" Angelina began to growled but she got cut off when Aeris suddenly dragged both her and Cloud by the back collar of their shirts off to a far corner where the guard can't hear them talk.

"Aeris, what are you doing?" said Cloud angrily.

"Cloud, you wait here for us both." said Aeris, unfazed by Cloud's tone of voice. "Angelina and I will go in, find Tifa and tell her what happened."

"What? No, you two can't do that!" Cloud protested.

"And why not, Cloud?" said Angelina as she glared lightly at Cloud.

"Because…" Cloud began saying. "You two DO know… what kind of… place this is, don't you?"

"Then what are we supposed to do, Cloud?" said Aeris. "You want to go in there with us?"

"You know I can't, Aeris." said Cloud as he crossed his arms. "What with me being a man and all…"

Both Angelina and Aeris watched him in silence for a minute before Aeris got an idea and quickly dragged Angelina close to her and away from Cloud and whisper her idea to her. Angelina widened her eyes for a few seconds when she heard of Aeris idea before the both of them began giggling while glancing over at Cloud. Cloud noticed them both giggling and glancing at him and he frowned while feeling an unknown bad feeling began to rise up within him. Aeris then went toward the guard.

"Excuse me, sir. Can you wait?" said Aeris to the guard. "I've another pretty friend that I want to bring with me."

"Another friend, huh?" said the guard, smiling even more. "Alright then, bring her over. I'm sure the Don will be even more pleased."

Aeris nodded before turning and walking back to Cloud and Angelina and she told Cloud of her idea (which instantly made his face turned red with embarrassment and horror) before they left the mansion and heading toward a certain shop in Wall Market.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Meeting Don Corneo**

"I can't believe that I actually let you two talk me into doing this." said Cloud in mortification/embarrassment at both Angelina and Aeris behind him (who were smiling then giggling at him minutes ago) as he stared at his reflection before the rectangular mirror inside "Albert's Dress Shop" and slowly shaking his head in disgust.

He's currently wearing a long, purple dress with long sleeves and a long, pink ribbon around his waist, made entirely of soft purple silk which shimmered when the light of the bulb in the shop shine on it. The dress did the job in covering up his tough guy looks and aura and the "Blonde Wig" (which they obtained when they went to Big Bro's Gym and Cloud won it by doing squats against one of the tough guy training there), the "Sexy Cologne" (which they obtained from a woman in a toilet in Mike Western Cuisine after they gave her some medicine to help her), the "Diamond Tiara" (obtained from a lazy guy selling wine in his small wine shop) and finally the "Lingerie" (from one of the assistant working in "Honey Bee Inn" and he also had some of the girls wearing bumble-bee outfits put on make-up for him, no thanks to Aeris) succeeded in making him look quite the delicate and feminine "woman".

 **(Poor Cloud. Having to go through this just to help Tifa. But it's still hilarious, XD.)**

"Wow, I didn't expect to see you look this pretty, "Clarice"." said Angelina in a teasing tone to "Clarice", who turned "her" head over "her" shoulder and glared at Angelina.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad at all." said Mr Albert Gaskin as he looked at "Clarice" up and down approvingly. "This may be a new business for me. Thanks to you, young lady."

"Oh, it's no problem, sir." replied Aeris kindly to Mr Gaskin without glancing away from "Clarice". "Now try to walk more nicely…like this, Miss "Clarice"."

"…What do you mean, "nicely"?" "Clarice" asked her.

"You know, like this." Aeris told "her" before she began teaching "her" on how to walk nicely (which made Angelina giggle again) in the dress shop until she's convinced.

"Oh, don't you just look cute at all, Miss "Clarice"." Angelina teased "Clarice" again and received another glare from "her".

"Awww, seeing you in a dress makes me want to have one too." said Aeris before she glance at Mr Gaskin. "Do you have one that'll look good on me, Mr Gaskin?"

"Hmmm, I just might have one for you, miss." said Mr Gaskin as he went toward the dress racks to choose a dress for Aeris and pull out a long red silk dress with a pale blue ribbon around the waist which shimmered in the light as well.

"Excuse me, sir. But what about her?" said "Clarice" as "she" pointed a finger at Angelina. "Why don't you choose one for her too, since we'll be going into the mansion together."

"W-What? But…" Angelina stuttered and watched as Mr Gaskin gave "Clarice" a smile, went and choose/pull out another dress for Angelina (after he gave the red silk/pale blue ribbon dress to Aeris). This time it's a long, green silk dress with a pink ribbon around the waist (which also shimmered in the light too). "Clarice" smirked when "she" saw the scowled look on Angelina's face before "she" quickly ushered both Aeris and Angelina into the changing room. A few minutes later, they both came out of the dressing room wearing the dresses Mr Gaskin gave to them, looking quite stunning in them.

"So? How do we look?" Aeris asked "Clarice" excitedly while Angelina blushed with embarrassment and look away from "Clarice" when she saw "her" looking.

"Uh… you two look… very nice in them." replied "Clarice" as "she" scratch the back of "her" head.

"Why, thank you." said Aeris, smiling at "her".

"Come on, let's hurry up and head to the mansion to get Tifa out of there." said Angelina to them as she turned and began to leave the dress shop. "Clarice" and Aeris thanked Mr Gaskin for the three dresses before they headed out of the dress shop and followed behind Angelina straight toward Don's mansion at the edge of Wall market for the second and last time (while they ignored the leering/dreamy gazes of the men on them). When they arrived before the entrance of the mansion and the same guard who guarded the door, the guard's eyes lit up in joy as he looked at them up and down, especially on Angelina (much to her dismay and Cloud's anger when he saw it).

"Damn, woman! Both your friends are looking quite hot in those dresses! Come in, come in!" exclaimed the guard happily to Aeris before he turned and knocked loudly on the door of the mansion. "Three gorgeous ladies coming through!"

A few seconds after the guard announced them, the large, yellow doors opened up in front of them and the guard move aside while motioning for them to went in, which they do so. After "Clarice", Angelina and Aeris went into the mansion, they looked around and saw that the inside of the mansion is lavishly decorated with a large, circular maroon-coloured carpet which had the form of a giant water serpent sew on it (The deity or summon of Wutai, Leviathan) covering the dark tiled floor, crimson-coloured walls with emblems/insignias of long forgotten cultures painted or pasted on it, two huge jade and bright orange-coloured urns standing against the crimson wall to their right (big enough to hold or hide a person inside) and next to a red, wooden staircase leading up to three different rooms, a crimson desk to their left where people could make or ask for appointments with a back room behind the desk leading into another room. Soon they heard the sound of footsteps and they saw an assistant guy in a dark business suit came out from the back room and stood behind the desk and grinned when he saw "Clarice", Angelina and Aeris standing in the middle of the room, waiting.

"Hello there, ladies." The assistant greeted them cheerfully. "I'll go and let the Don know you're here. So wait here and don't go wandering around."

The assistant turned around and headed back into the back room, going to tell the "Don" that there were three ladies waiting to see him. Once they're sure that he's out of their sight, they three of them turned to faced each other, nodded before they went up the stairs, turned left and walked past the small room to their right and the center room (which most likely is the personal room of Don which they didn't want to entered) toward the small opened room to their left, went in and went down the long stone steps into a room filled with some kind of bizarre-looking restraining devices, some glowing candles lying in trays around the room and a large, dark red table in the middle of the room with the white outline of a person on it and with handcuffs positioned in place on the table where the person's hands and feets would go (which doesn't amused both Cloud and Angelina at all). Once they reached the bottom of the steps, "Clarice" and Angelina soon saw Tifa standing at the other end of the room with her back to them, in the same stunning bluish-purple dress which they saw her wore on when she went into Wall Market. Tifa then turned around and looked at them when she heard someone coming down and "Clarice" looked at her for a second before "she" realised the condition "she" in, turned away from her and Angelina and quickly ran back and stood near the stairs with "her" back to them, embarrassed.

"Tifa!" said Angelina in a happy/relieved tone of voice to her.

"Angie? Is that you?" said Tifa in a surprised then relieved tone when she saw her. "You're alright! What're you doing here and why are you wearing a dress?"

"Tifa, the reason why we're here and wearing these dresses is to search for you." Angelina told her.

"Wait, "we"?" said Tifa, confused.

"Yeah." said Angelina with a nod of her head before she tilted her head to her right to tell Tifa to looked over her shoulder which she did and she saw Aeris (who's already near them during their talk).

"Tifa?" said Aeris politely to her. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Aeris Gainsborough."

"Yeah. It's nice to meet you too…" said Tifa as she gave Aeris a confused look before she blinked when she realised/remember where she saw her before. "Wait… you're the woman I saw with Cloud and Angelina in the playground…"

"Yeah, that's right." replied Aeris, nodding her head. "With Cloud and Angelina."

"Oh…" Tifa muttered quietly and looked away from Aeris at the 3rd "woman" standing in a corner far from them, still with "her" back to them. "Angie, who's that woman standing over there and where's Cloud?"

"Oh, that "woman" behind us?" said Angelina as she looked over her shoulder at "Clarice", snickering (which confuses Tifa). "Hey, "Clarice". Come on over."

"Clarice" glance over "her" shoulder at them, saw them looking at "her" and glance away again.

"Still embarrassed, "Clarice"?" said Aeris, trying to stifle her giggles with the back of her hand. "Come on over already, Cloud!"

Cloud let out a sigh, turned and walked slowly toward Angelina, Aeris and Tifa, still with his head down as he stopped before them. Tifa leaned forward slightly to look at the "woman's" face closely and she immediately jumped a few feet in the air in surprised/astonishment (now she know why both Angelina and Aeris kept on giggling/laughing) when she saw Cloud's familiar looks and blue eyes beyond the make-up, wig and outfit he put on.

"Cloud!?" exclaimed Tifa loudly and she began to speak rapidly to Cloud, rendering him unable to say anything to her. "Why are you dressed up like this!? And what are you doing here!? Forget that, what happened to both you and Angie after you two fell!? Are you hurt!?"

"Woah, slow down, Tifa." said Angelina. "Give him some room to explain it to you, okay?"

Tifa looked over at Angelina and nodded. Cloud gave Angelina an almost grateful kind of look before he let out another small sigh and began talking/explaining to Tifa.

"Tifa, the reason I'm dressed up like this is because they told me to do it (he pointed an accusing finger at both Angelina and Aeris, who stared at him amusedly) and because there's no other way for us to get in here to find/get you. And we're both fine, Tifa. Aeris helped us."

"Oh, she did, huh…" said Tifa, sounding quite sad/disappointed. And before she could say anything else, Cloud asked her a question.

"Now, explain to us, Tifa." said Cloud. "What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Yeah, ummm…" Tifa stammered and lowered her head, not sure on how to explain her current dilemma/predicament to both Cloud and Angelina with Aeris around. She glance up at Aeris uneasily and Aeris got her message and walked to a corner away from them, giving them privacy.

Once Aeris is out of earshot, Tifa looked at both Cloud and Angelina and smiled in relief. "…I'm really glad to see that you two are okay," said Tifa. "Right after Barret, me and the other AVALANCHE members fled from the Number 5 reactor and returned to Seventh Heaven, Laina demanded to Barret about where the two of you are and when he rudely told her about what happened, she went livid and uses her "Telekinesis" on him, literally sending him flying and crashing against various parts of the room until he had bruises all over his body. Only when she noticed the frighten and stricken look on Marlene's face that she stopped, let him go and stormed her up to her room."

"Sounds like what Laina would do when she's mad, sure enough." said Angelina, crossing her arms.

"And after that outburst, we noticed this suspicious, weird man." Tifa continued. "So Barret caught him, despite the bruises on his body and squeezed some information out of him."

"And that's when the "Don" name popped out of his mouth." Cloud commented.

"Right, Don Corneo." said Tifa with a nod. "Barret told me to leave the lech alone… but something's been bothering me. And it bothered Laina too when I went upstairs to tell her about it, which is after Barret let him go and she wanted to come with me."

"So that's why you're here. You wanted to get the story straight from Corneo's mouth… Wait, Laina's here too?" said Angelina, first presumed then surprised.

"No, she's not. She wanted to come with me while searching for you two at the same time but Barret and I managed to convinced her to stay behind at Seventh Heaven with Marlene and Wren." Tifa told them, looking concerned and rubbing her hands together anxiously. "…So now, here I am but now I'm in a bind. Because Corneo is looking for a bride. Every day he would get several girls into his mansion, chooses one of them and… well…" Tifa trailed off, not wanting to say it and shook her head. "Anyway, I have to be the girl… or I'm out for tonight."

Aeris, who's been standing in a corner away from them, let out a sigh and turned around to faced them. "Sorry, everyone… but I overheard everything…" Aeris told them in an apologetic tone before she walked back to them. "So if you know the girls, then there's no problem, right?"

"I guess so… but…" said Tifa with a small sigh.

"We have three girls here, right?" Aeris told her. "You, me and Angelina."

"No, Aeris!" Cloud exclaimed suddenly, which made all three of them glance over at him with surprised looks on their faces. "I can't have you get involved any further."

"Oh? So it's all right for either Tifa or Angelina to be in danger?" retorted Aeris shrewdly while glaring at Cloud.

"What? Of course I also don't want both Angie and Tifa in…" Cloud stammered while he scratches the back of his head.

"Thanks for thinking that the two of us are incapable in defending/watching out for ourselves, Cloud." said Angelina, giving Cloud a dark, scowling look.

"Angie, I…" Cloud began saying but got cut off by an angry man's voice above them.

"Hey, ladies!" the man's voice called out above them and all four of them looked up the steps to see Don Corneo's assistant standing on the steps and glaring down at them. "The Don is waiting. Hurry up!" the assistant told them before turning around and walked out of the room, muttering something under his breath.

Cloud glance over at Angelina, Tifa and Aeris and they all nodded to him (which make him sighed) before they went up the stone steps, out of the room and saw the assistant standing next to the entrance of the center room.

"The Don's waiting in this room…" the assistant told them with a wide grin on his face. He opened the door for them and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris went through the opened door into the room.

As they went in, they could see (and expected) that Don Corneo's personal, large chamber/room is as extravagant/expensive as the room outside. A long, rectangular, maroon-coloured carpet with the image of intertwining, green snakes sewn on it stretched from the doorway to the expensive, rectangular brown wood desk with papers before them. On either side of the desk stood two hired guards, punks who got lucky in getting a job working as guards for Don Corneo. As for Don Corneo himself, an unattractive old man with a single line of blonde hair that went from his forehead to his crown on his bald head, small, sly and weasly pale blue eyes on his round face, wearing a button-up white shirt with blue jeans and a long, red coat (or robe) which strain against his oversized, fat body and a lit, cigarette on his mouth was sitting on his red, throne-like chair patiently as he waited for the girls to entered his room.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris looked around the place nervously (while holding back their looks of disgust when they saw Don Corneo), not sure on what they should do now.

"All right, ladies!" said the guard on Don Corneo's left as he stepped forward and raised his hand to the four of them. "Line up in front of the Don!"

The four of them listen to his order and lined up in a horizontal row in front of the desk and Don Corneo, Cloud and Angelina stand in the middle with Aeris standing on Angelina's right and Tifa standing on Cloud's left. After they stood in front of him in silence, Don Corneo suddenly leapt out from his chair and landed on his desk, his eyes bright with joy and excitement as he looked at the four of them hungrily.

"Hmmm! Good, splendid!" said Don in a happy tone of voice as his eyes darted from one girl to another. He then clambered (or jumped) off his desk and sauntered forward to where Aeris stood, inspecting her closely. "Now, let's see… Which girl should I choose? Hmm… hmm…!"

Don then walked over to Cloud and began to examined him closely, but every time he try to get a closer look at Cloud's face and eyes, Cloud would turn his head away and close his mako, blue eyes so that Don Corneo wouldn't see them and realised that it's a trick.

"This one?" said Don, blinking a little when he noticed Cloud kept turning his head left and right every time he try to take a closer look at him but pay it no mind. He then went over to examined both Angelina and Tifa closely. "Or this one, or the one next to her?"

He then walked back to Cloud and try to get a closer look at Cloud's face this time but Cloud turn his head away to avoid looking at him the second time. Finally Don Corneo made up his mind and jumped.

"Woo-hoo, I've made up my mind!" said Don cheerfully. "My choice for tonight will be…" he trailed off for a moment to raise the suspense of everyone in the room before he walked away from Cloud and raised his hands to… Angelina. "This green dress, violet-eyes beauty!"

"W-What?" said Angelina with a horrified look on her face. "Now wait just a minute! I refused to be with you tonight!"

"Woo-hoo!" said Don cheerfully again while clapping his hands. "I love chickies like you who play hard-to-get! Yeowza!" Don Corneo then turned around to faced his two bodyguards standing on both sides of his desk. "You two can have the other three girls!"

"Yes sir!" said both of the guards happily as they raised their hands to their foreheads, saluting him. "Thank you, sir!"

Don Corneo nodded to them with approval before he turned back to Angelina, grinning. "Well then, shall we go, my beauty?" Don said to her and before she could protest against him, he walked off away from her, pass his desk and bodyguards and stopped next to a door behind his desk and bodyguards.

Angelina turned her head to her right and looked at Aeris, who nodded her head to her, then turned her head to her left and looked at both Cloud and Tifa, who also nodded their heads to her (while trying hard not to laugh or to stop her from going with him). Angelina sighed and began to followed Don Corneo into his room while leaving Cloud, Tifa and Aeris behind and at the hands of his bodyguards.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Getting information and battle against Aps**

"Ahhh, we're finally alone…" said Don Corneo dreamily and happily as he lay on his huge bed while ogling at Angelina who had her back to him at the far end of the luxurious room. Angelina cringed from his tone of voice and refused to turn around and see his hungry gaze on her. "All right, sweetie-pie… Come to daddy!"

Angelina's face instantly turn pale white with dread/nausea and she refused to turn and look at him even more. Don Corneo, however, thought that Angelina's just shy and crawled over his bed to get closer to her. "There's no need for you to be shy or scared, sweetie-pie. We're all alone now…" Don Corneo cooed to her.

After hearing what Don Corneo said to her just makes her cringe even more in dread/nausea but she then remember that the reason Tifa came to this dreadful place was to get some information out of Don Corneo so she wipe the dread/nausea look and feelings away from her face and mind and forced herself to put on a sweet smile before finally turning around to faced him.

"Finally you turned around and showed your pretty face to me, sweetie-pie." said Don Corneo happily as he leaned a little closer to Angelina. "You have really pretty violet eyes, sweetie-pie, you know that? Do you… like me?"

Angelina was about to flat-out told him "No, I don't", but she reminded herself again about the information Tifa wanted from him so she held herself back from saying the words and decided to get the information out of him herself by flattering him.

"Why, of course!" said Angelina sweetly to him while she mentally gagged at herself, feeling like an idiot for doing/saying it but she had to do it if she wanted to get the information from him.

"Wow! You sure do know how to make a guy happy and feel good, sweetie-pie!" Don Corneo exclaimed and grinned happily, which make Angelina uncomfortable. Don Corneo moved forward to Angelina and leaned his face even closer to her, looking quite nervous now. "Then, wh… what do you want to do NOW?"

" _I wanted to get away from you, run from this place with Cloud, Tifa and Aeris and find something which can erased this horrible memory/experience from my mind forever."_ thought Angelina sourly to herself but she swallowed hard and forced herself to say the dreaded words which would inflate Don's ego.

"Whatever YOU want, daddy." said Angelina, feeling sick, horrible and humiliated for saying it out to him.

"Oh man! I can't stand it!" said Don Corneo out loud joyfully and he jumped on the bed, unable to hold back his excitement/eagerness anymore. "All right, then… Give me a kiss! A KISS, SWEETIE-PIE!"

The feelings of dread/nausea came back full-force and skyrocket rapidly within her mind and she shook her head while edging away backward from him. "Nope, I can't do it! I've had enough of this!" said Angelina out loud to him in a disgusted tone of voice.

Don Corneo's face dropped in utter dismay/sadness as he fell onto from the bed while staring at Angelina. "WHAT? BUT WHY?" Don Corneo wailed out.

"Because… Because you're a lecherous, disgusting old man and all I want from you is the information you have!" Angelina told him harshly at the same time the door to his bedroom burst open inward and both Angelina and Don Corneo turned their heads to see Cloud, Tifa and Aeris run into the room, all three of them wearing their usual outfits instead of the pretty dresses.

"Finally you guys came!" Angelina said to them with a relieved look on her face. Cloud, Tifa and Aeris smiled at her before Cloud threw her usual clothes at her and she caught it gratefully before hurrying out of Don's bedroom to change and quickly came back in to joined them.

"W-What the hell?" shouted Don Corneo. "W-What's going on?"

"Shut up, you!" said Tifa harshly. "We're asking the questions now…" Tifa began saying.

"…From that foul mouth of yours." finished Angelina as the four of them all circled/gathered around Don Corneo's bed and cornering him on his bed, preventing him from escaping. Don Corneo whimpered a little and flinched back from them, terrified of them.

"Now, tell us. What did you ordered your assistants to find out?" Tifa asked Don Corneo, who shook his head to her. "Talk! If you don't tell us…" Tifa then glance over at Cloud, who nodded and raised his leg onto the bed, glaring at him.

"…I'll chop them off." Cloud said to him menacingly.

Don Corneo heard the threatening tone in his voice and jumped up in fear, shaking his head vigorously. "No! Not that! Please! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" said Don Corneo pleadingly to them.

"So…talk." said Tifa firmly.

"I-I made'em find out where the man with the gun-arm was. But that's what I was ordered to do." said Don Corneo nervously to them.

"By who?" asked Tifa.

"No!" Don Corneo yelled out, his face turned pale white. "If I told you all the name of the person who ordered me to do it, I'll be killed!"

"Talk!" said Tifa harshly. "If you don't tell us…" she looked over at Aeris, who nodded and did the same thing as Cloud did seconds ago and glaring at him.

"…I'll rip them off." said Aeris menacingly.

Again Don Corneo jumped back in fear of them. "Waaaaaaaaaaaah!" he wailed out. "It was Heidegger of Shinra company! Director Heidegger, head of Public Safety Maintenance!"

"The head of Public Safety Maintenance?" exclaimed Cloud in surprised confusion.

"Did you just say Shinra!?" snarled Tifa, in anger now. "What are they up to now!? Talk! If you don't tell us…" She looked over at Angelina, who nodded to her and followed what Cloud and Aeris did seconds ago, giving Don Corneo an evil grin.

"…I'll smash them to pieces." said Angelina menacingly.

"…You're all serious, aren't you… Ohboy, ohboy, ohboy." said Don Corneo as he looked at the determined looks on their faces and swallowing the lump in his throat. "…I'm not fooling around here either, just so you all know." Don Corneo added to them as he take a deep breath. "Shinra's trying to crush a small terrorist group called AVALANCHE and want to infiltrate their hideout. And they're going to crush them… literally. By breaking the support pillar holding up the Plate above them."

"Break the support pillar!?" Tifa cried out.

"You all know what's going to happen?" Don Corneo told them, relaxing and smirking a little. "The Plate above will go "PING!" and then everything and everyone below will go "BAMM!". I heard that their hideout is somewhere in Sector 7 slums… I'm just glad that it's not here in Sector 6."

"They're going to wipe out the Sector 7 slums!?" said Tifa in shocked and fear as she stepped back a few steps away from Don Corneo and the bed, covering her mouth with her hands, unable to believe at what she just heard.

"Goddammit! We've to leave now and quickly head back to Seventh Heaven to get Laina, Barret and the others out of there!" said Angelina as she turned and looked at Cloud, Tifa and Aeris.

Cloud nodded to her. "Right! Let's all go there now!"

Both Tifa and Angelina smiled in relieved and they glance at Aeris, who nodded to them. As the four of them began to turned and leave, Don Corneo's suddenly turned to faced them and began talking to them.

"Wait, just a second!" Don Corneo said to them.

They stopped in their tracks and Cloud turned to glared at him. "Shut up already!"

"No, really. It'll only take a second!" insisted Don Corneo. "How do you think scums like me feels when they babble on about the truth?"

"They're pretty much given up on living?" replied Angelina impatiently.

"Bzzzzz! Wrong answer, sweetie-pie!" shouted Don Corneo with a wicked grin on his face. His left hand reached out for the lever to his left and he pulled it down. Suddenly the floor which Cloud and the three girls stood on opened up under them and before they could react or say something, the four of them fell down into the hole. Once they've fell, Don Corneo began dancing a victory dance to himself.

XXXX

Meanwhile, within the large and topmost floor/office on Shinra company, Director Heidegger, head of Public Safety Maintenance, was busy making his way up the stairs toward the President's office. He was a bulky yet strong man with a rough, cold and cruel-looking face and a thick black beard, black eyes with black eyebrows and wearing an almost dark green business suit with matching pants. As Heidegger walked closer toward the large and grand desk of the president, he saw the president sitting on his chair behind his desk, waiting patiently for Heidegger to arrived. He also noticed two other people in dark blue and grey business suits standing in front of the president's desk, Director Reeve Tuesti, head of Midgar Urban Development and his assistant/niece, Nina Devereaux. Unlike the rough, cold and cruel-looking expression which Heidegger had on his face, both Reeve and Nina had less cruel-looking expressions and looking quite uncomfortable/nervous now, which Heidegger ignored completely.

"Good evening, president." Heidegger greeted him and then greeted Reeve and Nina hoarsely. "Director Reeve, Miss Devereaux."

"Director Heidegger, how are the preparations going?" the president asked him.

"Ha, ha, ha!" Heidegger laughed loudly. "Smoothly, very smoothly! I assigned the Turks to do this!"

"President!" Reeve protested with a look of worry/anxiety on his face. "Are we really going to do this? Simply destroy a small terrorist group with only a few members…"

"And what about those people living above the Sector 7 Plate and the people living below it, sir?" interjected Nina.

"Director Reeve, Miss Devereaux. You two should know by now on why we can't afford to allow those AVALANCHE terrorist to live." said the president coldly to them both. "What's the problem, you two? You two want out?"

"Of course not, president…" replied Reeve as he lowered his head (while Nina place a comforting hand on her uncle's shoulder) before looking up again to see the president getting off of his chair and began walking toward him. "But, as the Director and head of Midgar's Urban Development Department, I together with my niece, have been involved in the building and running of Midgar and it's starting to feel personal for us both. That's why…"

"Seriously, Reeve! You and your niece should flushed those annoying personal problems of yours away in the morning!" scoffed Heidegger sarcastically, cutting off Reeve's words.

Reeve turned to glared furiously at Heidegger. "The Mayor's against this anyway…" Reeve retorted to Heidegger.

"Mayor? You mean that pathetic Domino?" said Heidegger as he turned to looked away from Reeve and shrugged his shoulders. "All he do is just sits in his office in this building all day, feeding his face and doing nothing! You still called him a Mayor?"

"Why you…" said Reeve as he was about to reprimand Heidegger but got cut off by the president's voice.

"That's enough now." said the president.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me, sir!" said Heidegger as he turned and gave the president a salute before turning and walked away from the president's office while laughing. Both Reeve and Nina began to run after Heidegger in protest but halted in their tracks when they saw him went down the stairs. They then stared at each other blankly for a few seconds until the president slowly walked up to them.

"You two must be tired now." the president said to them. "Why don't you and your niece take a couple of days off and go rest somewhere?"

Both Reeve and Nina stared at the president in surprised and when they saw the stern and steady expression on his elderly face didn't change, Reeve looked at Nina and tilted his head to her, telling her to followed him and they walked forward down the stairs and out of the president's office, leaving the president alone.

" _We'll destroy Sector 7 and report to the public that it was AVALANCHE who did it. Then we'll send in the rescue operation care of Shinra company… Heh heh heh… this'll be perfect."_ thought the president happily and maliciously to himself.

XXXX

A hatch opened up deep in the sewers beneath Sector 6 Wall Market and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris fell out through the opened hatch and landed with heavy, dirty and wet thuds on the damp concrete ground. Cloud and Angelina groaned from the pain of their bodies falling onto the wet, concrete ground (and the added pain/weight of their weapons on their backs) and spitted out the foul water that got into their mouths before they slowly stood up from the ground.

"Ugh, gross!" said Angelina, grimacing as she take a look around the sewer (filled with garbages and other foul things which can't be mention) which they're now at.

Cloud ignored her words as he also take a look around the filthy place and he saw both Tifa and Aeris lying still and face-down on the ground near him and Angelina. Cloud and Angelina quickly went toward them and kneel down to them.

"Hey, you alright, Tifa?" Cloud asked her, worriedly.

"Aeris, wake up." said Angelina, trying to wake Aeris up.

Both Tifa and Aeris heard their voices and they groaned before they opened their eyes to glance up at Cloud and Angelina, who hold out their hands to them and they gladly took it before Cloud and Angelina pulled them both up to their feets. Once they're both up and standing, they began to wipe the damp, dirty water away from their clothes with their hands, to no avail.

"Man! This is terrible! That no good bastard!" exclaimed Tifa out loud in anger as she try frantically to wipe the dirt water off her hair.

"Well, at least the worst is over for us…" Aeris said to them as she try to wipe away the dirt water stain on her pink dress, only for them to hear the loud roar of a monster and felt the sewer ground shook under their feets soon after she say it.

"You just had to say it and jinx things up, Aeris." said Angelina as she gave Aeris an annoyed look on her face.

"I'm sorry." Aeris apologized to them.

"Get ready, everyone!" Cloud told them as he pulled his sword out from his back and Angelina, Tifa and Aeris quickly pulled their weapons (naginata, glove fists and metal staff) out, preparing themselves for a fight against whatever's approaching them. They heard another loud roar coming from it and the sounds of its footsteps, followed by the scraping sound of something (chains, maybe) dragging heavily across the ground. Soon something huge appeared around the corner toward them and they saw what it looks like.

It was a huge, ugly monster (named Aps) with sickly greenish-blue skin all over its bulky body, a huge pig-like face with yellow eyes and an open, gaping mouth with razor, sharp teeths and a long, purple tongue lolling out against the left side of its opened mouth. Both of its arms were as large and bulky as its body, with rusted yellow chains clamped shut on both of its wrists and a long, menacing-looking black tail with sharp spikes on it behind the monster.

Aps let out another beastly roar when it saw them and it raises both of its arms above its head before slamming it down on them, intending to crushed them flat like a pancake (or paper) but they quickly dodged out of the way of its arms before both Cloud and Angelina ran toward Aps with their sword and naginata in their hands and begun attacking/slashing its bulky arms. Aps roared, raised and swung both of its injured/bleeding arms at both Cloud and Angelina, both of whom quickly dodged and rolled on the ground until they're behind the monster. Aps arms slammed against the concrete wall of the sewer, causes cracks to appear on the sewer ceiling and a large chunk of concrete to break apart and falling on Tifa and Aeris, who looked up and quickly dodged out of the chunk of concrete way in front of Aps.

After Tifa is sure that both she and Aeris are all right, she glance up at the monster and charge toward it with her gloved hands raised and clench into fists and began punching Aps body hard (while Cloud and Angelina continue slashing it from behind). Aps roared and swung its left arm at Tifa, knocking her away from it at the same time it raises and swung its black tail at both Cloud and Angelina. It's tail collide against the left side body of Angelina and she, in turn, collide against Cloud before the both of them landed hard on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Cloud! Angelina! Tifa!" Aeris yelled out in fear/worry when she saw the monster knocked them away with its arms and tail and closes her eyes, concentrating. As Cloud, Angelina and Tifa try to get back up despite the bruises on their bodies, they suddenly felt a kind of warm, soothing energy entered their bodies and healed them from inside. They glance over at Aeris in surprised before giving her grateful looks (which she smiled in return), grabbed hold of their weapons and began charging/attacking Aps again.

Aps roared in anger and frustration when it saw them coming back to attacked/injured it some more and it grabbed hold of a large chunk of concrete ceiling near it with its injured, bulky arms before it threw the chunk of concrete ceiling right at them, causing them to dodged out of the way of the chunk of concrete ceiling, it flew past them, crashed against the wall of the sewer behind them and smashed to pieces.

Angelina glared at the monster, pulled out an ice materia from her pocket (which Laina gave to her), casted it on the monster and watched as a thin sheet of ice began to appear below the monster's feet and it rapidly crawled up the monster's body until it encased it completely, but not for long as cracks began to appear on the ice. Aps burst itself out of the ice, shaking off the small remnants of ice still clinging on its body before glaring at Angelina and swung its injured left arm at her, which she dodged aside before she slashes it some more with her naginata.

As the monster is now busy with Angelina, Cloud and Tifa casted Fire and Thunder thrice on it, burning and shocking it at the same time. Aps lifted its head and let out an angry yet pained roar before it raises its injured arms, swinging it back and forth above its head before slamming it down on the damp, concrete ground. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris stared at it blankly for a few seconds until they heard the faint sound of water from behind them. They each turned their heads to look over their shoulders and their eyes widened when they saw the foul water in the sewer began to rise up into a large wall of tsunami behind them, looking ready to fall at any second.

"Hang on to something, Angie, Tifa, Aeris!" Cloud yelled out to them and all four of them quickly scrambled/climbed up the concrete platform at both side of the sewer wall and hold onto it tightly with their hands. The wall of tsunami fall with a loud splash onto the tunnel ground, gushing/flowing ferociously past the concrete platform where Cloud and the three women were on (sending sprays of water up in the air which soaked their heads, clothes and bodies) toward Aps until the water crashed against the monster, causing it to lost its footing on the ground and fell before the water swept Aps rapidly away from them.

Once they're sure the monster is gone and the sewer water subsided to normal level, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris slowly stood up and jumped from the concrete platform down onto the sewer ground.

"It's too late…"said Tifa with a despair look on her face. "If only that monster didn't showed up then we don't have to waste our time battling it. Marlene… Barret… Laina… all the people living in the slums…"

"Don't give up hope so quickly, Tifa." said Aeris sternly as she went over to her and clasped both of her hands to reassured her. "Never give up hope."

"But…"

"It's not that easy to destroy the Pillar, isn't it?" said Aeris. "They need some time to do it."

"Yeah…" said Tifa with a thoughtful/positive look on her face now, which replaced her previous look of despair. "You're right, Aeris! We still have time to prevent it, somehow!"

Tifa and Aeris then looked over at Cloud and Angelina, who nodded to them before they turned and began to head deeper into the labyrinth of the sewer beneath Midgar, all of them praying in their minds and hearts that they'll make it to Sector 7 Seventh Heaven in time and get their friends and possibly other people out of Sector 7 before the Pillar fell down on them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Destruction of Sector 7**

After a while of them walking/navigating in the labyrinth of the sewer (and almost got lost or bumped into dead-ends several times which frustrates them), they finally managed to reach the end of the sewer path and saw a rusted, steel ladder against the side of the sewer wall which leads up to the city above. Cloud checked the steel ladder to see if it's still strong enough to support their weight when they climbed up and when he's satisfied that it is, he looked over his shoulder back at Angelina, Tifa and Aeris and nodded to them (which they nodded back) before they began climbing one after another up the ladder. They climbed until they've reached the top and Cloud raised both of his arms to lifted and pushed aside the sewer manhole cover, got out of it and sighed in relieved that he's finally out of the sewer before turning around, hold out his hand and helped Angelina, Tifa and Aeris climbed out of the manhole cover. They gave him grateful looks (while trying to brush off the sewer stains on their clothes) before they looked around the place which they had just came out.

The four of them were standing in what appears to be a large, abandoned train railway graveyard, with many old, rusted, partially destroyed and abandoned locomotives dumped on the ground everywhere around them. The place is barren and empty but it's still a positive sign because in the distance, beyond the broken windows of the abandoned trains, they could see the street lights of Sector 7 train station, its platform deserted of people, which meant they were near the Sector 7 slums and the Plate haven't fall yet.

"I'm sorry, Aeris." said Cloud suddenly with his head lowered and Aeris turned to look at him. "Angie and I got you mixed up in all of this…"

"Don't you tell me to go home now and stay safe, Cloud." Aeris told him with a shake of her head and a defiant look on her face. "I choose to followed you and Angelina instead of staying with my mother so you don't have to say it and feel regret anymore."

Cloud lifted his head and glance at her, can't believe that she would still followed them and refused to go back home. " _She really is quite stubborn, like what her mother, Elmyra says to me and Angie."_ Cloud thought to himself.

While Cloud and Aeris were talking, Angelina and Tifa had walked away from them both and they climbed up onto a rusted, steel ladder leaning against a train, reached the top of the train, stood up and they looked around the place.

"Let's see…" mumbled Tifa quietly to herself while Angelina kept on looking around the place until she felt Tifa tapped her shoulder, looked over to her and saw her pointing a finger ahead of them. "Look, Angie. If we can just get past those trains that are lit up, we should be able to get out of here."

"Hey, you're right, Tifa!" said Angelina. "Come on, let's go tell Cloud and Aeris about it!"

Angelina and Tifa jumped down from the top of the abandoned train and headed back to Cloud and Aeris, who were waiting for them. The both of them began telling Cloud and Aeris of what they're going to do to get out of the "Train Graveyard" and both Cloud and Aeris nodded before they turned and walked/navigated through the wreckages of the abandoned trains that were around them (while collecting items like potions/hi-potions/ether and fighting monsters like Deenglow, Ghost, Eligor and others which live within the shadows of the abandoned trains), all four of them heading north to where the rest of Sector 7 slums were.

After they walked/navigated and clambered over all of the abandoned trains in the "Train Graveyard", they saw that they're now in the train station of Sector 7, with the same single red uniform security guard standing in front of the train which is resting quietly next to the platform, waiting for its next passengers to boarded it. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris wasted no time in sprinting away from the "Train Graveyard", away from the Sector 7 train station, its security guard and toward the slums.

As Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris run through the slums and its people toward where the pillar is, they saw that it's more unsettled than they initially thought upon their arrival. In the middle of the dirt clearing where the huge, metallic pillar stood as it supported the Plate above, the people living in the slums had left their homes and gathered outside the large metal fence around the pillar, talking/chatting amongst themselves as they stared up at the spiral staircase which wound itself up around the pillar.

"We made it!" exclaimed Tifa in a relieved tone of voice. "The pillar's still standing and intact!"

"Wait a minute, Tifa!" said Cloud suddenly, cutting off her excitement. "You hear something… above us?"

Tifa looked at Cloud before she raised and put both of her hands behind her ears and tried to hear the sounds coming from above the pillar. It was a sound of someone firing shots after shots of bullets at the enemy, a sound she heard quite often from Barret.

"… Is that gun fire?" said Aeris to them, sounding quite worried.

"Yeah, it is, Aeris." replied Angelina grimly.

One by one all four of them followed what the people who gathered around the pillar did and raised their heads to looked up at the pillar. They saw many, fleeting flashes of gunshot lights and sounds of gunfire firing back and forth coming from various corners of the stairs around the pillar and rising all the way to the top where the main platform is. They saw two figures is standing and fighting at the very top of the pillar and one of the figure was slowly backing away from the other figure toward the edge of the platform. As the figure reached the edge of the platform and stopped in his tracks, someone suddenly opened fire at him from somewhere and the figure fell back and off the edge of the platform, falling towards the ground.

The figure landed with a loud, heavy thud on the slum ground near where Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris were standing as they stared up at the pillar. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris immediately lowered their heads, turned around and approach the figure who fell (same goes for the people gathered outside the large metal fence around the pillar), wanted to check and see if he's all right and Tifa let out a yell of horror when she saw who the figure is.

It was Wedge.

"Wedge!" yelled Cloud as he kneel down to him. "Are you all right!?"

"Hang in there, Wedge!" yelled Angelina as she too kneel down next to Cloud while her gaze roamed over in horror/sadness at the bleeding, bullet wounds on his body and his hands and legs, which bends in an awkward angle from his fall.

"… Cloud, Angelina…" whispered Wedge as he slowly turned his head to look up at them before he gasped painfully due to the bullet wounds on his body and his broken arms and legs. He ignored the various pains on his body and gave them a small smile on his pain-stricken face, relieved to see the both of them alive and well. "You two… are here… and you two… remembered… my name. Barret's up top… help him…"

"Of course, Wedge!" Cloud said to him.

"Wedge, what about Laina?" Angelina asked him. "Is she up there with him, helping him too?"

"No… she's not." replied Wedge, coughing in pain. "Barret… told her to… stay behind at… Seventh Heaven… and watch over… both Marlene… and Wren. An' Cloud, Angelina… Sorry, I wasn't any help."

After he's done talking to them, Wedge closed his eyes and passed out, unable to endure the various pains on his body. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris glance down at Wedge unconscious body with sympathy looks on their faces before Cloud shake his head vigorously and he and Angelina stood up, raised his head and glared up at the pillar. Angelina followed his gaze and glared up at the pillar too.

"Angie! Tifa! We're going up!" Cloud announced to them both as he glance at them and both Angelina and Tifa glance over at him and nodded with determined looks on their faces. Cloud then turned to glance at Aeris. "Aeris! You stay here and look after Wedge!"

Aeris look at Cloud, Angelina and Tifa and slowly nodded her head. Tifa approach her and grabbed hold of Aeris's hands firmly yet gently in her grasp.

"Aeris, do me a favor." Tifa said to her. "I have a bar named "7th Heaven" in this neighbourhood. There's a little girl and a little boy named Marlene and Wren there. If you saw them, could you please take them somewhere safe away from Sector 7? Also, if you saw Laina there with them both, tell her to hurry and come here and helped us out!"

"Right, don't worry, Tifa." replied Aeris reassuringly to Tifa. "I'll bring them away somewhere safe and I'll also tell this Laina woman to come and help you all."

A relieved smile spread across Tifa's face when she heard Aeris's words and Aeris smiled back at her before they unclasped their hands away and Tifa turned to faced the slums people standing around the four of them.

"It's dangerous here, all of you!" Tifa yelled at them. "All of you, get away from the pillar, return to your homes now, grabbed your families and get out of Sector 7 quickly!"

After Tifa yelled and warned them of the upcoming disaster, the people of the slums just stared blankly at her for a second or two, trying to understand/comprehend on what she just said when it finally dawned on them and they quickly scattered off and away from her, Cloud, Angelina, Aeris (who's tending to Wedge now before leaving to get Marlene and Wren safely away from Sector 7 and told Laina to come and help them) and Wedge. Some run back to the slums for their families and friends, some run toward the Sector 7 train station while others run back and stand outside the large, metal fence and glance up at the pillar and the people fighting on it, prepared to wait for the end.

Cloud, Angelina and Tifa glance at each other before they nodded again and ran through the busted open metal fence doorway and run up and onto the spiral staircase which wounds itself around the pillar, toward the top of the pillar platform where Barret and the system control for the pillar is situated.

XXXX

"I'm scared, Laina." whimpered Marlene as she glance up at Laina with tear stains on her small, frighten face while her small hands clings to her velvet-blue coat on her right. "When is papa coming back?"

"I'm scared too, big sis Laina." whimpered Wren as he glance up at her too, his small hands clings to her velvet-blue coat on her left as they heard the sounds people running around outside of Seventh heaven and the sounds of faint gunfires coming from the pillar.

"Shhh, there, there, you two." whisper Laina in a soothing tone to them, trying to calm them down while holding them close to her. "Everything's going to be all right soon, Wren, Marlene. And I'm sure that your papa will be back for you soon, Marlene."

Both Marlene and Wren glance up at her again and nodded while sniffling before they lowered their heads, their hands clutching her velvet-blue coat tighter. Laina stared down at them and rubbed their backs lightly with her hands to soothed them further while letting out a small sigh as she glance away from them toward the doorway of Seventh Heaven.

" _What's going on out there now? What're Barret and the others are doing? Why are the people living in the slums running around now? Did Cloud and Angelina survived that fall? Has Tifa found them after she left for Sector 6? Are they both all right?"_ thought Laina in frustration to herself as she glance back down at Marlene and Wren again.

"I don't believe it. It's really you, Laina Donovan." said a familiar woman's voice suddenly which shocked Laina slightly. "You're alive."

Laina turned her head and glance at the long, ponytail brown-haired, green eyes woman who's now wearing a sleeveless pink dress with dirt stains on it, a short, red bolero jacket over it with metal bangles on her wrists and short brown boots on her feets now standing in front of the three of them with her back to the doorway of Seventh heaven.

"Aeris Gainsborough?" said Laina as she continue glancing at her. "It's been a while since we last met. You've change your outfit, huh? What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, it is quite a while, isn't it?" replied Aeris. "But we don't have time for idle chit-chat now, Laina. Tifa asked me to come here for Marlene and Wren and to bring them away somewhere safe while telling you to hurry and head over to the pillar and helped them out!"

"She did?" said Laina. "What's going on over at the pillar now, Aeris?" Laina asked her.

"The information we heard from Don Corneo while we're in Sector 6 Wall Market let us know that Shinra company decided to break the Sector 7 pillar supporting the Plate above and letting it crashing down on the slums below just to wiped out AVALANCHE." Aeris told her grimly.

"THEY WHAT? Those Shinra bastards!" yelled Laina out loud in anger, which frighten both Marlene and Wren. Laina calm herself down when she noticed their frightened looks and soothed them.

"Hurry, Laina! Cloud, Angelina and Tifa are now over there trying to stopped them from breaking the pillar while waiting for you to come and helped them!" Aeris told her worriedly. "Give me the girl and the boy. I'll take them to my house where it's safe. So hurry and go and helped them now!"

"Right, Aeris!" replied Laina as she glance down at both Marlene and Wren, who glance up at her and she quickly told them to go with Aeris before ushering them in Aeris direction. Aeris grabbed hold of their hands and quickly bring them out of Seventh Heaven, toward her house.

Once they're gone, Laina quickly turned and make her up to the second floor in Seventh Heaven into her room, kneel down near her bed and reached for the long, wrapped up bundle under her bed. She pulled it out and unwrapped the bundle to reveal Genesis's long red saber, Geneva. She glance at it for a second before closing her eyes and pressed the blade close to her forehead.

" _Zack, Angeal and Genesis. Please watched over me and lend me each of your respective strengths/protections against Shinra company."_ Laina thought to herself before she opened her mako blue eyes, place Geneva behind her back, turned and run down the stairs through the doorway of Seventh Heaven and run past the slums people running in a panic around her, toward the pillar where Cloud, Angelina and the others were.

XXXX

As Cloud, Angelina and Tifa run up the spiral staircase which wounds around the pillar, they stumbled across the other two members of AVALANCHE, Biggs and Jessie and stopped in their tracks to glance at them in sympathy, who were also injured fatally by the people who worked for Shinra. Biggs and Jessie talk to them for a few seconds before they both passed out from the intense pain on their bodies, like Wedge, who's lying unconscious far below them. A single tear slid down Tifa's face before she, along with Cloud and Angelina, gritted their teeths in anger and run up the last few remaining stairs toward where Barret is standing, with his gun-arm raised, pointing and shooting in the air and with dozens of the bodies of Shinra securities lying around him on the platform. Cloud, Angelina and Tifa approach him and Barret turned around sharply and pointed his gun-arm at them, thinking that they were enemies. When he saw that it's just Cloud, Angelina and Tifa, he sighed in relieved before talking sternly to them.

"Tifa! Cloud! Angelina! You three came!" Barret said out loud to them. "Be careful! They're attacking from the helicopter."

"Then we all better equip ourselves before they resumed their attacks in full force!" Tifa told them firmly.

All four of them nodded to each other before they pulled out the materia out from their pockets and slipped them on the slot-holes on their gun-arm, glove fists, Buster Sword and naginata. Right after they finished putting their materia in place, they heard the spinning/whirring sound of blades coming from above them.

"Get ready, everyone!" Tifa yelled to them. "Here they come!"

The four of them looked up and saw the Shinra helicopter flying above them. Barret raised his gun-arm and try to shoot the helicopter down but to no avail as the bullets just bounce off the helicopter. The helicopter then swerved toward them and the side-door on the helicopter slid open to reveal Reno, one of the three Turks who came into the church to try and captured Aeris (Cloud and Angelina gasped in anger when they saw him). Reno jumped down from the side-door of the helicopter and quickly ran toward the pillar's control panel on it, his hand raised and hovering over it. Barret, Cloud, Angelina and Tifa ran over to him and Barret raised his gun-arm at Reno, ready to gunned him down.

"You're all too late. Once I pressed this button…" Reno sneered at them before he lowered his hand and pressed the large red button on the control panel. A number of lights began to lit up on the control panel and Reno looked at them, grinning.

"That's all, folks!" said Reno triumphantly to them. "Mission accomplished."

"We've to disarm it!" Tifa cried out worriedly as she glance at Barret, Cloud and Angelina. "Cloud! Barret! Angie! Please!"

"Sorry, I can't have any of you do that." said Reno, frowning at them. "No one gets in the way of Reno and the Turks…"

Reno turned to faced all four of them while his left hand reached into his dark blue suit jacket and pulled his weapon, a black electromagnetic rod out. He raised and held the rod in front of him for a few seconds while looking at them before he sprang swiftly into action, charging toward Cloud first. Cloud saw him coming and quickly grabbed and pulled his huge Buster sword out from behind him and parry against Reno's rod strike on him before he pushed Reno backward with his sword and soldier strength. Reno stumble back a few steps and charge toward Cloud again but before he could use his rod to strike down on Cloud the second time, he noticed Angelina suddenly charge toward him out of the corner of his eyes from his left with her naginata raised above her head and quickly halted in his tracks and dodged her naginata downward strike on him.

After he dodged Angelina's naginata strike on him, he turned and jabbed his rod hard on Angelina's waist and release a powerful surge of electricity on her, causing her to yell out in pain and she fell back onto the metallic floor of the platform, her body spasming uncontrollably. Cloud saw her fall and run over to helped her while Barret cursed, raised his gun-arm and began firing bullets after bullets (and casting Fire) at Reno (who dodged Barret's bullets with impressive agility, unfortunately for them) until he exhausted all of his bullets and had to lowered his gun-arm to reload. Reno then took the chance of Barret reloading bullets into his gun-arm to charge toward him with his rod raised in front of him, intending to strike him down with it but he got interrupted by Tifa, who got in his way and began attacking him relentlessly with her gloved fists. Reno dodged her fists and backhanded her hard away from him before jabbing his rod on her waist and shocked her with it, like he previously did with Angelina. Tifa yelled out in pain and fell down on the platform, her body spasming as well.

"Tifa!" yelled both Cloud and Barret before Barret (who's still reloading bullets into his gun-arm) glared at Reno. "You piece of shit…"

Reno smirked at Barret and raised his electromagnetic rod above him, ready to strike down on Tifa. Barret cursed again and quickly casted several Fire magic at Reno, who dodged them with ease while Cloud stood up, turned and run toward Reno with his Buster sword in his hands (after he use Cure on Angelina), ready to attack Reno again. Reno saw Cloud coming and casted some kind of magic on him, rendering him trapped in a kind of yellow-pyramid barrier big enough for a single human and unable to move.

"Let's see if you can break out of that." Reno taunted Cloud, looked down at Tifa and raised his rod again but before he could strike her with it, some invisible force grabbed hold of him and send him flying away from Tifa and crashed against the metal rail on the edge of the platform. As Cloud, Barret and Angelina (who's now slowly standing up after recovering from Reno's electric shock attack) stared in surprised at Reno who got suddenly flung away from Tifa, the pyramid barrier around Cloud started cracking and shattered into pieces.

"Looks like I managed to get here on time to helped you guys, at least." said a familiar woman's voice nearby them and all of them (except Tifa) turned their heads to glance at the woman.

"Laina!" said both Cloud and Angelina, relieved to see her.

"Glad to see you two are all right, Cloud, Angelina." said Laina, smiling in relieved as well. She then noticed Tifa lying and spasming slightly on the platform ground, she quickly went over to her, kneel down and casted Cure on her. After she cured Tifa, she and the others heard a small beeping noise coming from somewhere and they saw Reno slowly stood up from the platform and glanced down at his watch.

"It's time…" said Reno before he glance up from his watch and nodded at them, turned around, climbed up on the rail on the edge of the platform and jumped off it.

After Laina had casted Cure on her to healed her, Tifa swiftly went toward the control panel on the platform and began to type furiously on it, trying to disarm it off.

"Cloud!" shouted Tifa suddenly as she glance over at Cloud. "I don't know how to stop this! Try it!"

Tifa moved aside for Cloud to come nearer to the control panel and he looked down at it for a few seconds before he looked up at Tifa and shook his head in dismay.

"… It's not a normal time bomb, Tifa." said Cloud plainly.

The sudden sound of a helicopter nearby caught their attentions and they all turned their heads to look at the edge of the platform where Reno just jumped. The helicopter rose up from below the pillar and they could see a different man standing in the helicopter, looking down at them through the opened side door on the helicopter. The man was Tseng, leader of the Turks. Like Reno, he was wearing a black business suit with matching, long black pants, long, straight black hair past his shoulder down his back, a cold/callous look on his face, brown-coloured eyes and a small, single red dot on his forehead.

"That's right." Tseng said to them. "You all will have a long and hard time in disarming that one. It'll blow up the second some stupid jerk touches it."

"Please, disarm it!" Tifa cried out pleadingly to Tseng.

"Ha, ha, ha…" Tseng laughed at her pitiful attempt at pleading. "Only a Shinra Executive can set up or disarm the "Emergency Plate Release System"."

"Shut yer hole!" yelled Barret angrily as he raised and aimed his gun-arm at Tseng, ready to shoot him down from the helicopter.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Tseng warned Barret sternly and calmly. "You just might make me hurt our special guest."

"What "special guest"?" Angelina asked him, slightly confused.

In reply, Tseng turned his head to his left and they all followed his movement and saw a female figure kneeling nest to Tseng inside the helicopter. The female figure raised her head to glance down at them and all five of them gasped when they saw that it's Aeris.

"Aeris!" Tifa and Laina cried out.

"Oh? You two know her?" said Tseng in mocked surprise as he glance at Tifa, Laina and then at Aeris. "How nice that you could see each other for one last time. You all should thanked me for it."

"Why you…" snarled Angelina.

"What are you gonna do to Aeris?!" Cloud demanded.

"I haven't decided." admitted Tseng, shrugging his shoulders dismissively. "Our orders were to find and captured the last remaining Ancient. It's taken us a long time, but finally we got her and I can report this to the president."

Aeris leaned over the edge of the helicopter as far as she could and called out to both Tifa and Laina. "Tifa, Laina, don't you two worry! They're both all right!"

"Silence, you!" snapped Tseng angrily at Aeris before he went over to her and slapped her hard across her face. Aeris winced and cradle her cheek while Tifa ran to the edge of the platform and try to reached up to Aeris desperately.

"Aeris!" Tifa cried out again.

Aeris ignored the pain on her now sore cheek and leaned over the edge of the helicopter to glance down at them again. "Hurry and get out of here, all of you!" Aeris called out to them.

"Ha, ha, ha…" Tseng laughed at them again. "Well, it should be starting right about now. Think you all can escape in time?"

After Tseng finished talking to them, the side-door of the helicopter slid shut and the helicopter flew up and away from them. Soon after the helicopter's gone, an explosion began occurring from within the pillar on top of them. The pillar shook vigorously and large chunks began to break off of it and fell down past them toward the slums below.

"The pillar's starting to break and crumble!" said Tifa worriedly to them. "We gotta get out of here now!"

She, along with Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Barret began to looked around the platform desperately, searching for a way that they can escape since there's no time for they to run down the spiral staircase around the platform and reached the bottom. Laina's eyes soon caught sight of some long, thick cables attached to the rail of the platform and immediately tell the others.

"Hey, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Barret!" Laina called out to them. "We can use these cables to get out of here!"

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret saw the cables which Laina just told them and they all hurried over to the edge of the rail and climbed on it. Barret unhooked one of the cables and grasp it tightly in his hand/gun-arm while Tifa and Cloud climbed on the rail and held onto Barret tightly. Laina unhooked another cable and clasped it tightly in her hands while Angelina held on tightly behind her (and try not to get herself hurt by Laina's long red, saber). The five of them looked at each other, nodded and jumped down from the platform, away from the pillar.

Soon after they jumped off and away from the pillar, it explodes with a loud bang and shattered into a million, concrete pieces. The people who were walking around above the Plate stopped in surprise when they felt the ground below them jerked suddenly and fell down rapidly. They started screaming when it fell.

As for the people living in the slums below, they all glance up in horror when they saw the huge Plate suddenly falling down on them and they, like the people living above, began to screamed and run around in a panic, but unfortunately, it's too late for them to hide or escape anywhere.

As the cables (with the five people clinging to them) swung away from the pillar and Sector 7, it swung toward the opened gateway to Sector 6 and Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and Barret passed through the opened gateway rapidly, seconds before the Plate landed/crashed down on the ground loudly and ferociously behind them. The loud sound of the crash echoed across the other Sector in Midgar and huge clouds of dust, dirt, grime and metal flew through the opened gateway into the playground in Sector 6, scattering and tearing the place apart. After they went through the gateway, the cables which they clinged to snapped, causing them to fall and landed heavily on the now ruined and dusty/dirty playground.

XXXX

Up in his office at the top of Shinra company, the president glance down without remorse/regret on his face through his window at the large gap where the Sector 7 Plate used to be, and he saw it lying on the ground with large flashes of red flames rising up as fires broke out around it, slowly engulfing the wreckages of Sector 7.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Hearing Elmyra's tale**

Deadly, eerie silence descended upon the Sector 6 playground/park area, broken only by the groaning/creaking sound of the huge, ruined Plate as it settled on the ground and the thick cloud of stagnant dust which had been blown through the now broken/dented gateway toward Sector 6 after the pillar supporting the Sector 7 Plate was destroyed and causes the Plate to fall and crushed/killed dozens of people above and below had settled down as well. Piles of smoking, metallic debris lay scattered everywhere on the ground of Sector 6 playground/park and some of them had partially destroyed some of the playthings in the playground when they landed. The swings hanging on a long, standing pole had been torn away from it and lying amongst the debris whereas the mog-shaped slide had three long and thick-looking red chunks of metals pierced through the top of its head, embedded itself deeply in it.

The only five survivors who managed to escape seconds from being crushed to death by the Plate were now lying face-down in various corners on the ground of Sector 6 playground/park, their bodies and clothes were dirty and aching heavily from their rough landing on the ground due to the thick lines on the cables which they use to swing themselves to the safety of Sector 6 snapped apart.

Slowly, one after another, they each opened their eyes and slowly get up on their feets, two out of five of them groaned loudly when they felt the aches on their bodies and quickly pull out some potion from their pockets to drink and healed the aches (while small parts of dirt and debris fell off their clothes). After they stood up, turned to glance the broken, dented gateway and walked toward it, their eyes seeing the utter destruction of it. Barret widened his eyes in horror/despair when he saw the current state of Sector 7.

"Marlene! MARLENE!" yelled Barret.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina watched with pity/sadness in their gazes at Barret as he ran up toward the wreckages of Sector 7 gateway, tears streaming down his dirt/dust-coated face as he desperately ran left and right, trying to find some way into the destroyed Sector.

"MAR…LE…NE!" Barret yelled out again, despite knowing that she can't answer back to him. Desperately, he ran down the right side of the gateway, continue to try to find a way through. "Biggs!" Barret yelled before he turned and ran down the left side of the gateway. "Wedge!" He ran down to the middle of the gateway and yelled loudly through the gateway. "Jessie! Goddammit! Dammit! DAMMIT ALL TO HELL! What the hell's it all for?"

Barret fell to his knees before the destroy gateway/sector, thinking about Marlene who's sitting and waiting for him to return with Wren for company in Seventh Heaven until the final second when the Plate fell and crushed her and Wren to death. He gritted his teeth then began to bellowed loudly and angrily before he raised his hands and punch/hit the metal in anger/despair.

"Hey, Barret!" Cloud yelled out from behind him.

"Barret!" Tifa yelled out as well.

"AGHHHH!" Barret yelled out, not listening to them.

"Hey, Barret! That's enough!" Laina yelled at him.

"Stop it already!" Angelina yelled at him.

"Barret, stop…" said Tifa in a pleading tone behind him. "Please stop, Barret."

"UGHHHH!" Barret yelled out one final time, ceased punching/hitting the wall of metal, stood up and stepped back a few steps, raised his gun-arm and began firing dozens after dozens of bullets onto the metal. The bullets struck the metal and bounce off it, causing little to no damage at all. After he exhausted the bullets and kept firing his gun-arm at the metal (which only make clicking noises), he ceased firing, lowered his gun-arm and fell onto his knees the second time, the last of his rage and despair dissipated away. A few seconds later, he feebly raised his left hand, clench it into a fist and punch the wall weakly one last time.

"God damn…" Barret whispered angrily to himself while behind him, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina slowly turned their heads to the side and looked away from him.

XXXX

A while after Barret had release his tantrum of anger/despair, he stood up, turned around and finally walked away from the Plate wreckage blocking the destroy gateway and sat on the ground next to the destroyed mog-shaped slide while Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina (who crossed her arms) stood in a semi-circle around him, unsure of what to say to comfort Barret. All four of them were in shock/anger/despair over what had just happened and how far Shinra company would go just to get rid of AVALANCHE. Tifa and Angelina's mind were focused on the many innocent people who had remained in the slums despite their warning, and now they're all dead, crushed and buried forever under tons of rubber, concrete and metal. Laina's mind is focused on how naïve and gullible she use to be in thinking that Shinra company is a good company when in reality it's actually an evil company and her younger sister, Phemie, is still with them. Cloud's mind, however, is on another thing.

"Marlene…" whispered Barret sadly.

"…Barret…?" said Tifa as she looked at Barret. "Marlene is… I think that Marlene is safe."

"…Huh?" said Barret as he looked up at Tifa, a faint glimmer of hope replacing the anger/despair in his eyes.

"Tifa's right, Barret." Laina told him and he looked over at her now. "Right before the Plate fell and collapsed, Aeris came into Seventh Heaven and took her and Wren out and away from Sector 7 to somewhere safe."

"Hey, that's right!" said Angelina. "Tifa, you did asked/tell her to go to Seventh Heaven to bring them both to safety while telling you to come and help us, Laina."

"That's right, Barret. Remember what Aeris said to us while she's on the helicopter before they took her away? She said, "Don't you two worry, they're both safe." She must be talking about both Marlene and Wren." Tifa told Barret as she thought back to the moment on the pillar before it got destroy.

"R, really?" said Barret hopefully.

Tifa nodded then lowered her eyes to the ground. "But, the others…"

"Biggs… Wedge… Jessie…" said Barret as he too lowered his eyes to the ground, his earlier hope evaporated.

"All three of them were still on the pillar." said Cloud.

"Think I don't know that, you SOLDIER bastard!" snapped Barret, glaring at Cloud (which make Angelina annoyed and she glared at him) as he staggered up to his feet. "But… we, all of us swear and fought to take down Shinra company together. I don't even wanna think of them as dead!"

"They're not the only ones who got crushed to death! What about those other people living above and below the slums?" said Tifa softly while biting her lip. "All those poor people and their families/childrens…"

"This is all screwed up!" Barret growled, shaking his fists angrily. "They wiped out an entire Sector just to get rid of us! They killed so many people…"

"…Are you saying that this is our fault?" accused Tifa as she glance at Barret. "Because AVALANCHE was here? Innocent people lose their lives because of us?"

"No, Tifa! That ain't it!" said Barret out loud to her, the feeling of hatred for Shinra rising within him again. "Hell no! It ain't us! It's the damn Shinra company! It's never been nobody but the Shinra company!"

As Barret talked to Tifa, both Laina and Angelina noticed Cloud had turned around and looked away from them out of the corner of their eyes.

"They're evil and destroyin' our planet just to… build their power and lined up their own damn pockets with gil and gold!" Barret continue his talk to Tifa. "If we don't get rid of them, they're gonna killed this planet! Our fight ain't never gonna be over until we get rid of them!"

"… I don't know." replied Tifa quietly, shaking her head.

"What don't you know, Tifa!?" Barret asked her. "You don't believe me?"

"It's not that, Barret." replied Tifa. "I'm not sure about… me. My feelings."

"Feelings, you say?" said Laina as she glance at Tifa angrily. "About what, huh? Don't you hate them for taking away your hometown and the people important to you as much as Barret do? Or are you getting cold feet now and wanted to back down from all this?"

"That's not it, Laina!" said Tifa out loud to Laina as she glared at her. "Of course I do hate them as much as Barret, or even you, do! But, after seeing what they did…"

Laina scoffed and turned away while Barret glared at Tifa for a few seconds before turning to glance at both Cloud and Angelina, who kept silent until now.

"And what about you two?" Barret asked them both.

Angelina glance back at Barret then at Cloud, who's still in silent mode.

"…" said Cloud before he walked away from them, heading toward the ruined/barren construction work yard that led the way toward Sector 5 and to Aeris's mother, Elmyra's house. Both Angelina and Laina watched him go for a few seconds before they glance back at Barret and Tifa and then decided to followed after Cloud.

"Yo!" Barret called out to the three of them and got no replies. "Where're they going?"

"Oh! Aeris!" said Tifa, remembering Aeris suddenly.

"Oh yeah, that girl." said Barret thoughtfully as he glance at Tifa. "What's up with her?"

"…I don't really know." said Tifa with a shake of her head. "But she's the one which I told to get both Marlene and Wren away to safety while also telling her to sent Laina over to help us before the pillar got destroy/collapsed."

"Damn! I forgot about her! Marlene!" said Barret out loud before he began sprinting toward the Sector 5 playground entrance, stopped and turned around to glance at Tifa. "Tifa, there ain't no turning back for all of us now."

Tifa heard what Barret said and nodded slightly at him before she watched him turned and run off after Cloud, Angelina and Laina. She remained standing in the playground/park for a few moments, glance over her shoulder at the broken gateway and the wreckages of Sector 7, where glowing red/orange flames still burned brightly within and where her three friends and the people of the sector/slums lived and then got crushed by the Plate and buried. She take a deep breath, turned and walked away from Sector 7, following after Cloud and the others.

XXXX

Meanwhile, Cloud, Angelina and Laina is slowly walking/climbing through the ruined construction yard toward the large hole in the wall connecting Sector 5 and 6 together in silence. Their minds still thinking about the innocent people of Sector 7 who died by Shinra company hands, about Aeris who unfortunately got captured by the Turks, about Marlene and Wren waiting for them in Elmyra's house and about how Elmyra would react when they told her the news of her daughter being captured by them. The ones feeling the most guilt about everything and about Aeris being captured was Cloud and Angelina. If only they had been more firm in telling her to stay safe with her mother instead of letting her following them, then she wouldn't have got herself caught by them. But if she haven't choose to followed them, then she wouldn't have bring Marlene and Wren to safety and they would have died too. Even so, that still didn't make them both feel any less guilty.

"Cloud! Angelina! Laina!" Barret and Tifa's voice called out from behind them and they turned around and saw both Barret and Tifa running toward them and stopped in front of them.

"Take me to Marlene!" Barret told them simply.

"Of course we will take you there, you impatient man!" said Angelina, scowling at him. "For we're also heading to Aeris's house to see her now!"

"Are you three going to helped Aeris?" Tifa asked them.

"Yeah." replied Cloud with a nod of his head.

"That's what we'll do after we bring Barret to see Marlene." said Laina.

"And also," said Cloud. "There's something I want to know."

"And what is it you want to know?" Tifa asked him.

Cloud immediately turned away from them and looked up at the pillar of Sector 5, which stands firm/secure and supported the huge Plate above.

"…It's about what the Turk guy who took Aeris away said to us. About the Ancients." Cloud told them.

After he said those words out, a faint wave of coldness and a faint piercing whistle began to seeped into Cloud's veins and Angelina's ears, making them both space out a little and closed their eyes while Laina immediately freeze up when she heard Cloud's words and it causes a distant memory of what the man said to her before appear in her mind.

" _Within my veins courses the blood of the Ancients. I am one of the rightful rulers/heirs of this Planet!"_

"…Sephiroth?" Cloud and Angelina whispered the man's name together as they both grimaced, held their heads in their hands while shaking off the coldness and piercing whistle away from their bodies and ears and then their knees began to buckle. Laina gasped and Tifa flinch a little when they heard both Cloud and Angelina say his name, Laina quickly shake the memory away and managed to grabbed hold of Angelina but unable to grabbed Cloud when they both fell to their knees.

"Cloud! Angie!" said Tifa worriedly.

"Hey, are you two all right?" asked Laina, worry as well.

"Pull it together, you two!" said Barret unsympathetically to them.

"Y-Yeah, we're both alright." replied Cloud as he pushed himself up to his feet.

"Just a little dizzy, that's all." said Angelina as she pull herself away from Laina's helpful grasp. Cloud and Angelina shake their heads a little before turning around to looked at Laina, Tifa (who looked concerned) and Barret (who looked puzzled). They didn't say anything and turned around again before they walked on through the construction yard toward the hole in the wall of Sector 5 as if nothing had happened seconds ago. Laina, Tifa and Barret exchange glances with each other, shrugged their shoulders and followed after Cloud and Angelina.

The five of them went through the large hole in the wall of Sector 5, walked down the dirt path past the old metallic looking houses, several old marketplaces/shops while ignoring the people of Sector 5 slums who were woken up abruptly by the loud crash coming from Sector 7 and were running around in a panic or run toward Sector 7 to see what's going on as they (Cloud and his companions) headed toward Aeris's house to the north of Sector 5. When they arrived before Aeris's house, Cloud knocked on the door and heard a muffled reply of "come in" from inside, he then opened the door and they all went into the house and saw Aeris's mother, Elmyra, standing with her back to them in the living room as they entered.

"Cloud and Angelina…wasn't it?" asked Elmyra as she slowly turned around to faced Cloud, Angelina and the others behind them, her face somber red and her eyes slightly puffed up as though she had been crying. "It's about my daughter, Aeris, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah, Mrs Gainsborough." replied Angelina as she lowered her head to stared at floor.

"…Sorry." Cloud apologized to her sincerely. "The people from Shinra have her."

"I know." sniffed Elmyra as she wiped away a single tear from her face before turning to her right and walked away from them toward the staircase. "They came and took her from here."

"What? They were here?" said Angelina, surprised.

"That's what Aeris wanted…" replied Elmyra as she turned back to them.

"Why is the Shinra after Aeris?" Cloud asked Elmyra.

"It's because she's an Ancient, isn't she, Mrs Gainsborough?" said Laina grimly as she glance at Elmyra, who glance back at her with a surprised look on her face.

"…Yes, she is, young lady." replied Elmyra with a nod of her head as she turned away from them again. "The last, sole survivor."

"How do you know that, Laina?" asked Angelina as she turned to her.

"…That was back when I was still with Shinra, Angelina." replied Laina.

"…Wait a minute, what did you say?" said Barret in surprise as he took a few steps near Elmyra. "But, aren't you her mother?"

"…Not her real mother." replied Elmyra softly as she wiped away another tear from her face and looked up at the ceiling. "Oh…it must have been 15 years ago…during the war. My husband, Nicholas, was sent with the others to the front. To some far away place called Wutai. One day, I went to the station because I received a letter from him saying/writing that he was coming home from leave."

XXXX

 _Elmyra walked toward the station and heard the piercing whistle of the train as it came to a halt at the Sector 7 station, she quicken her pace and stopped before the station, her heart pounding rapidly within her chest as she noticed that she's not alone at the station, there were other people waiting for their loved ones near the station too, just like her. The side doors of the train opened and the passengers within began to stepped out of it. Elmyra watched and smiled as she saw two of the passengers, two men, one young and one old, stepped out and embrace their girlfriend and wife with love/affection before walking down the concrete steps with them, away from the station. Elmyra watched and waited patiently as the rest of the passengers stepped out of the train and slowly began to feel worried/anxious when she didn't saw her husband among them. When the last of the passengers exited the train and the side door of the train closes, she went up the concrete steps toward the security guard stationed there and asked him if there was still anyone else on board. The security guard shook his head to her and Elmyra sadly turned and walked down the concrete steps before sitting down on it._

XXXX

"But my husband never came back." Elmyra continued telling her tale to Cloud and the others as fresh tears glisten in her eyes. "And I wonder if something happened to him? No, I'm sure that his leave was just cancelled and I went to the station everyday. Then, one day…"

XXXX

 _On the fifth day, Elmyra went toward the station, planning to stay there and waited for her husband again. As she approach the station, she saw two people, a mother and a young child on the platform. The mother (named Ifalna), a beautiful woman with long wavy brown hair, green-coloured eyes, a pale yet angelic-looking face and wearing a long sleeve, deep red dress, is lying collapsed on the concrete steps of the station while her child, a young 7 year old daughter wearing a blue dress with brown sandals and had the same brown-coloured hair, green-coloured eyes and fair, angelic face like her exhausted mother was kneeling near her, crying and holding her mother's hand in her small palms. Elmyra gasped and quickly run toward them both, kneeling down near them. The small girl noticed Elmyra and quickly ran around her mother to her, pleaded her to help make her mother well again._

 _With effort, the small girl's mother turned her head to glance up at Elmyra, gestured weakly for her to come closer (which Elmyra did) and whispered something in her ear. After she whisper to her, she lay back, closed her eyes and died right in front of Elmyra and her daughter. The small girl immediately burst into tears upon seeing her mother had died and threw her small arms around Elmyra, who also hugged her back to comfort her while letting her cry._

XXXX

"You used to see this sort of thing a lot during the war." said Elmyra as she recalled back. "Her last words to me were " _Please take Aeris away and keep her somewhere safe."_ My husband never came back again that day. I had no child of my own. I was probably lonely so I decided to heed the woman words and take her home with me. After I took her home and she lived with me for a while, we soon got close very quickly. That child love to talk, she used to tell me about everything."

Elmyra paused for a second and smiled fondly at the past memories going through her mind.

"Some of the things she told me was that she and her mother, Ifalna, had escaped from some kind of research laboratory center somewhere. And that her mother time is up and she had returned to the Planet. So she wasn't lonely."

"Returned to the Planet?" asked Barret, confused.

"I don't know what she meant by that." replied Elmyra with a shake of her head. "So I asked her if she meant a star in the sky at night, but she shook her head and said that it was this planet… She was a mysterious and unusual child in many way."

XXXX

 _As Elmyra was busy frying some fish for dinner in the kitchen, she suddenly felt someone watching her from behind, glance over her shoulder and was quite surprised to see Aeris standing behind her, looking at her with a sad look on her face._

" _What's the matter, dear?" asked Elmyra as she set her frying fish aside, turned around and walked toward her. "Has something bad happened to you?"_

" _Mom," replied Aeris sadly to her. "Please don't cry."_

" _Of course I won't, dear." said Elmyra as she bend down and stroke her head. "Why would I be crying?"_

" _Someone very dear to you had just died." Aeris told her sadly. "His spirit was coming to see you, but he had already returned to the Planet…"_

XXXX

"…At that time I didn't believe her and dismissed it as yet another of her strange concerns." Elmyra continued talking while shaking her head again at the memory. "But… Several days later… We received an official notice saying that my husband had died in Wutai. After I got that notice, I cried for my dead husband for a while and during my grief, Aeris stay with me and comforted me. Thanks to her comfort, I eventually managed to mourned my husband and move on and our relationship got stronger after that. We were very happy. Until one day, 10 years ago…"

XXXX

 _Aeris stood close to Elmyra side as they both stared in worried/suspicion at the black-haired young man wearing a black business suit with a white shirt underneath stepped into their house. When he saw them both, he straighten his black tie and cleared his throat._

" _Mrs Elmyra Gainsborough?" the man asked her politely._

" _Yes, I am." replied Elmyra suspiciously. "Who are you?"_

" _My name is Tseng, from the Turks." replied the man named Tseng as he smiled politely at them. "And I'm here to speak to you and your daughter."_

" _About what?" said Elmyra, narrowing her eyes at Tseng._

" _We would like you to return your daughter, Aeris to us." Tseng told her flatly. "We've been searching for her for quite a long time."_

" _What are you saying? You want to take Aeris away from me?" said Elmyra, shocked at Tseng's request._

" _NO!" shouted Aeris, clutching the folds of Elmyra's apron tightly while shaking her head vigorously. "Never!"_

" _Aeris, you're a very special child." explained Tseng softly to her as he glance at her. "You're of special blood. Your real mother, Ifalna, was an "Ancient"."_

" _No! You're wrong!" shouted Aeris, in denial._

" _The "Ancients" will lead us to a land of supreme happiness." Tseng told her and Elmyra gently. "Aeris, you'll be able to bring happiness to all those people living in the Slums. That's why Shinra would like your cooperation."_

" _No! I told you already that I'm not an Ancient!" shouted Aeris again. "I'm not!"_

" _But, Aeris, surely you hear voices sometimes when you're alone?"_

" _No!" said Aeris as she shake her head furiously. "I don't!"_

 _After Aeris said that, she immediately ran from Elmyra, rudely brushed past Tseng out of the house and hide in the garden so as not to be found by him and get taken away from her home._

XXXX

"But I knew," said Elmyra. "I knew for quite some time about her mysterious power… She tried her hardest to hide it, so I acted as though I never noticed."

"It's amazing how she's avoided the Shinra company for all this years…" said Cloud as he folded his arms.

"The Shinra company needed her, so I guess they wouldn't harmed her." said Elmyra.

"But why did they decided to take her now…" said Tifa, frowning.

"Probably because she brought two kids here, a boy and a girl." said Elmyra, lowering her gaze. "Tseng found and intercepted them on the way here. She probably knew that she and the kids couldn't get away fast enough so she decided to surrender herself over to them in exchange for the kids safety."

"Must be Marlene." Angelina assumed.

"And Wren." said Laina, lowering her gaze.

"Marlene and Wren!" yelled Barret. "You mean that Aeris was captured because of Marlene and Wren!?" Barret then pushed his way past Cloud toward Elmyra. "I'm sorry. Marlene's my daughter. I'm… really… sorry…"

"You're her father!?" shouted Elmyra angrily at Barret. "How in the world could you ever leave her and the other child alone like that!?"

"They weren't alone, Mrs Gainsborough." Laina told her gently. "I stayed with them both until Aeris came and took them away from Seventh Heaven to your home here."

"She's right and please don't start with that." Barret begged Elmyra as he lowered his head in shame. "I think about it all the time. Like, what would happened to Marlene if I… But you gotta understand somethin'… I don't got an answer now. I wanna be with Marlene, my daughter… But I gotta fight. Cause if I don't… the planet's gonna die. That's why I gotta keep fightin'! But, I'm still worried about Marlene. I really just wanna be with her… always. See? I'm goin' in circles, now."

Elmyra stared at Barret harshly for a few more seconds then her expression gradually softened and went away.

"…I think I understand what you're saying…" said Elmyra softly as she place a gentle hand on Barret's shoulder. "She and the boy are both asleep upstairs now. Why don't you go up and see her?"

Barret smiled gratefully at Elmyra before he walked past her and went up the stairs to second floor. Laina turned and also went up after him to check on Wren. After they both went up, Tifa let out a heavy sigh.

"It's my fault." said Tifa sadly. "I was the one who got Aeris involved in this mess."

"Don't say that." said Elmyra. "Aeris doesn't think that."

"Yeah, she's right, Tifa." said Angelina as she patted Tifa's shoulder. "So don't blame yourself."

Tifa glance at her and nodded. Angelina smiled then noticed Cloud had walked away from them out of the corner of her eyes and went up the stairs toward Elmyra, Aeris and the guest bedrooms where Barret, Laina, Marlene and Wren were. After a while, she saw Cloud came back down the stairs with Laina following behind him. He walked right past them and headed toward the door.

"Cloud, wait!" said Angelina and Cloud halted in his tracks. "You're going after Aeris, is it?"

"Yeah, Angie." replied Cloud as he turned to glance at her.

"Then I'm coming with you, Cloud." said Angelina while she held her back her jealousy.

"We're going with you both as well, Cloud, Angelina." said Laina with Tifa nodded to them next to her.

"You all know that we're going right into the headquarters of Shinra company." Cloud warned them. "…We gotta be prepared for the worst…"

"We know that, Cloud. Me especially." said Tifa. "Right now, I feel like I have to pushed myself to the limit. If I stayed here… I'll go crazy."

Soon after Tifa finished saying her words to Cloud, all of them heard a loud rumble coming from the stairs and they all looked toward the stairs to see Barret running down the stairs toward them, stopped and turned around to faced Elmyra.

"Sorry to ask this of you, but can you take care of Marlene for a bit longer?" Barret asked her.

"And Wren too, Mrs Gainsborough." added Laina.

"Of course, I don't mind to watched over them both." replied Elmyra with a nod of her head to Barret and Laina.

"This place is dangerous now." Barret told her. "You better take them and go somewhere safe."

"…You're right." agreed Elmyra gravely before she glance at Barret. "But promise me that you'll come back to her. Don't get yourself killed." She glance away from him to Laina. "Same goes for you, young lady."

Laina nodded to her, turned to glance at Barret, Tifa, Cloud and Angelina and all five of them nodded to each other before they turned around and ran out of Aeris house, toward Shinra company.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Going up to the Plate**

Phemie drew back her hand and slapped Crisis twin brother, Reno hard on his face, causing his head to snapped to the left by the sheer force of her slap. Reno winced and raised his hand to rubbed his sore cheek while glancing at Phemie (who's glaring at him) and Crisis (who try to stopped Phemie to no avail).

"Ow, you sure can slapped people really hard, Phemie." said Reno.

"How could you, Reno?" said Phemie angrily. "Following his orders to destroyed Sector 7 just to get rid of AVALANCHE? A lot of people living above and below Sector 7 are dead now!"

"Orders are orders, Phemie!" Reno snapped at her. "We, as members of the Turks, have to do it whether we like it or not!"

Phemie glared at him for a few more seconds before she turned and stormed off toward the elevator, away from Reno and Crisis, wanted to be alone for now.

" _I wished you were here, sister."_ thought Phemie sadly to herself once she pressed the down button next to the elevator and went in after it opened then closed. " _To comfort and reassure me like before you left Shinra company with Zack and Sephiroth almost 6 years ago."_

Once the elevator reached the ground floor of Shinra company, the door opened and as Phemie's about to stepped out, she saw Nina Devereaux standing outside, about to come in.

"Oh, hello Phemie." Nina greeted her.

"Hi, Nina." Phemie greeted back.

"Is something the matter, Phemie?" asked Nina when she noticed the sad look on Phemie's face. "You look like you're sad or upset about something."

"…I was just upset when I heard about Reno being ordered to destroy Sector 7 to get rid of AVALANCHE which he did do so and I slapped him for it." replied Phemie with a depressed sigh. "…All those poor people…"

"Yeah, I know how you feel, Phemie." said Nina, sighing as well. "For I also feel the same way like you. My uncle and I try to persuade the president to not go through with the plan but he wouldn't listen. What's more, he even told my uncle and I to go for a vacation! How could we go on a vacation after what happened to Sector 7?"

"He did? That bastard…" said Phemie in an angry tone of voice.

Both women sighed again then glance at each other for a while until Nina asked Phemie if she's in the mood to joined her and her uncle for dinner, which Phemie agreed and they soon turned and left the company.

XXXX

"How do we get to the Shinra building?" asked Tifa once they stepped out of Aeris's house.

"Pretty sure that Shinra has banned all trains from going up there now…" said Barret.

"Any ideas, Laina?" asked Angelina as she glance at Laina.

Laina crossed her arms as she thought for a few seconds. "Why don't we head on back into Sector 6 Wall Market? During my time in Shinra company in the past, I overheard some secretary who worked there said that there's a secret passage somewhere in Wall Market which leads up to the Plate above. Plus, we might be able to find something useful there."

Angelina gave her an "You-are-quite-knowledgeable" look while Cloud, Tifa and Barret glance at each other and nodded before all five of them left Aeris's house and headed swiftly toward Sector 6. As they went back through the large hole in the wall and walked through the ruined construction yard toward the ruined playground/park, they ignored the feelings of pain and grief in their hearts as they look upon the wreckages of Sector 7 again. They were on a rescue mission now and they had no time to stop and mourned for their deceased friends now. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were dead, but will never be forgotten.

As Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and Barret went through the entrance of Wall Market, they could see that the entire place was also in a state of panic, just like Sector 5 slums but by now the people had calmed down slightly and had return/resumed their lives and left to wonder on how and why the pillar supporting the Sector 7 Plate had collapsed and fall. They also noticed a few pieces of metallic debris lying scattered on the ground around the place from when the Plate fell and crashed to the ground, but luckily for the people of Sector 6, no one got hurt by the scattered debris and nothing was damaged.

For a while the five of them wandered through Wall Market (along the way, Laina noticed that most of the people, particularly men, were pointing, jeering and laughing at Cloud, who look embarrassed and a little humiliated upon hearing their remarks. Laina swiftly remedy that problem by glaring at the men so angrily/darkly that they immediately turned and walked away to their homes/shops in fear), trying to find the place where the secret passage is which leads up to the Plate and to Shinra company, according to what Laina told them. They decided to split up into three groups (Cloud with Angelina, Barret with Tifa and Laina alone) to try asking a few people on where the place is but the people either don't know or don't care about it. After they do so and regroup together, Laina, Tifa and Barret noticed with bewildered looks that both Cloud and Angelina had three large batteries in their hands but decided to say nothing about it. The five of them continued wandering Wall Market and headed north, where Don Corneo's mansion is located. As they approach the mansion (which make Cloud, Angelina and Tifa grimaced in disgust), they noticed that the mansion is now devoid of lights and people, looking entirely deserted and there were three childrens, two boys and one girl, were standing in front of the mansion entrance.

"Hey, wanna see somethin' awesome?" said one of the two boys toward his two friends and they nodded excitedly back to him before the boy turned to faced the dark alley beside Don Corneo's mansion.

"Follow me!" said the boy before he run into the dark alley, his two friends following suit behind him. Cloud watched them went into the alley and turned around to looked at Barret, Tifa, Angelina and Laina, who nodded their heads at him before they quickly went into the dark alley after the three childrens.

Once they are inside a dark metallic clearing after they went through the dark alley, they were surprised to see that the two boys had disappeared and only the small girl who followed them is standing alone and staring at a large wall with large, red graffiti words on it, which separated Sector 6 from Sector 7. They also noticed a long, thick cable hanging and swaying slightly near the wall which came from the remains of the other cables of the pillar which had previously supported the Sector 7 Plate and were now hanging down loosely in the dark clearing of Sector 6 slums.

"Everyone climbed up this cable. Looks kinda scary… Brrr." said the small girl in a frighten tone of voice as she looked up at how high the cable is.

"Can we climb it?" Tifa asked the small girl.

"Yeah." replied the small girl as she turned around to see them. "It leads to the Upper World."

"Awright!" Barret exclaimed happily. "We'll climb up this cable!"

"Are you nuts?" said Angelina in an incredulous tone of voice as she glance over at him.

"There's no way that we can do this." Cloud protested, agreeing with Angelina. "You know how high and far this cable goes up?"

"What's the matter, you two?" said Laina in a teasing tone to them. "Are you two afraid of heights or something?"

"What? No! Of course not, Laina!" said Angelina hurriedly to Laina.

"Uh-huh." said Laina, not believing her show of bravado for a second.

"There IS a way!" insisted Barret as he turned to glance at the cable. "Look! What's that look like to you?"

Cloud sighed before turning to looked at the long, thick cable. To him it was just an ordinary cable dangling/swaying from the wreackages of Sector 7, only that it looks strong/sturdy enough to hold their weights if they climbed it.

"I see a normal cable." said Cloud as he glance back again at Barret.

"Oh yeah?" said Barret. "Well, to me it looks like a golden, shiny cable of hope."

Laina rolled her eyes and Angelina snorted when they both heard him say that while both Cloud and Tifa looked up at the dangling/swaying cable again and the ruins which lay above and beyond it. Even though they couldn't see all the way to the top of the Plate, it did seems that it lead all the way up.

"You're right, Barret." said Tifa as she turned to glance at Barret. "This is the only way for us to saved Aeris…"

"Okay, that was a bad analogy," said Cloud. "But I understand how you feel, Barret."

"Guess we have no choice but to go up, huh?" said Angelina with a defeated sigh.

"Don't worry, Angelina." said Laina as she patted her shoulder. "You'll be fine."

Cloud looked at all four of them and nodded to them, which they nodded back to him. "Let's go, everyone!" Cloud said to them enthusiastically.

One by one (with Cloud taking the lead first, then Angelina, Laina, Barret and finally Tifa), they jumped onto the cable, grabbed it firmly with their hands and began climbing. When they climbed until they could reach the top of the large wall which separates Sector 6 and Sector 7, they saw two of the small girl's friends were standing on the wall, both of them were gasping in fear as they looked at what's beyond the wall of Sector 6. When Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Barret and Tifa climbed up the cable past the top of the wall and looked at what the two boys were looking, they all gasped as well.

They could see directly into what remained of Sector 7. What was left of the town built above the Plate of Sector 7 is now a smouldering blackened wreckage, the entire huge, metallic plate and all the houses/buildings on it were all utterly destroyed/distorted into unrecognizable shapes/positions, stretches of crackling electric cables, torn metal and debris hung suspended and swaying from the Plate with dozens of Shinra emergency rescue teams and helicopters scouring the wreckage for any possible survivors.

"Oh man! This is terrible!" said the first boy out loud in fear as he stared down at the wreckage.

"Hey, scary, huh?" said the second boy next to him. "My dad told me that this is Shinra's doing."

Barret's eyes opened wide in despair (for Biggs, Wedge, Jessie and the Sector 7 slums people) then hatred (for Shinra company) as he stared down at the wreckage while Tifa turned her head away to the side (with Laina placing a comforting hand on her shoulder), not wanting to see the utter destruction of Sector 7 and its deceased people. Still, they were slightly relieved to know that at least some people, like the two boys watching the wreckage, knows that Shinra company was to blame for this tragedy instead of them. They all glance away from the wreckage of Sector 7 and continued climbing the cable past the two boys and up to a maze of large, broken metal pipes and train railways which hang suspended in the air from the top of Sector 6 Plate.

Eventually the cable which they all climbed on came to an end above them and they climbed up a few more inches before standing up slowly and walked on one of the large pipe which seems to intertwined itself with the cable. They then glance around at the various broken pipes, train railways and ladders around them to see which ones is the safest way for them to head up. As Cloud, Angelina, Barret and Tifa continued glancing around, Laina (who's glancing around too) soon noticed a slightly dented ladder far in front of her which rises up and intertwined itself with a large, broken pipe which led further up to the Plate above. She looked up, saw a large, broken fan next to the pipe with its blades out of the pipe's reach then looked down and saw a kind of large, rusted square battery slot near the foot of the fan.

Laina turned around and told Cloud and the others about the fan and the battery slot which she just saw and they all looked past her and saw it too. Cloud gave her a nod before he (with one of the battery he bought and now carry in his hands) jumped down from the pipe they were standing on, walked toward the battery slot near the foot of the fan, put the battery into it and soon they all saw the blades of the fan began to revolved. The broken fan speed up for a few seconds then slow down and stopped revolved entirely, but it managed to stopped with one of its blade right beside the intertwined ladder/pipe, which they all sighed in relieved.

The five of them wasted no time in walking up and over the fan blades, walked down and then climbed up the intertwined ladder/pipe and came to a stop before a long, yellow/black metal bar with a second square battery slot next to it which blocked their way to another pipe leading further up before them. Angelina pass one of the two batteries she carried in her hands over to Cloud, who took it and put it into the battery slot. After Cloud put the battery in, the yellow/black bar began to move and rise up with a loud creak toward another pipe above and stop, allowing them to walked up the yellow/black bar and then climbed up the pipe until it end. They stop climbing, stood up and stand on the bigger pipe next to the one they had just climbed on, looked around and saw another pipe opposite them which led further up, but a large gap stands between them, with only a hanging bar swinging back and forth between them.

"Looks like the only way for us to head to the opposite side is to jump onto that swinging bar." said Cloud as he glance down at the bar.

"Are you serious, Cloud?" said Angelina, worried.

"We should be able to make it if we jump onto it before it got too close." Cloud told her.

"Very well, then, Cloud." said Laina with a sigh. "Still, be careful."

Cloud nodded without looking at her and before anyone could say anything, Cloud immediately jumped off the pipe he's standing on (which caused Barret to yell out and Tifa to close her eyes in fear) and managed to grabbed hold of the swinging bar as it swung toward him and held on tightly with his hands. The bar soon began to swing more strongly after Cloud jumped onto it, and with each swing he got closer to the other pipe. When he's close enough, he quickly let go of the bar, jumped onto the other pipe and his hands grabbed hold of the ridge of the pipe to prevent him from falling off. After he's sure that he won't fall off, he turned his head to looked over at Angelina, Laina, Tifa and Barret and signalled to them to follow (both Tifa and Angelina sighed in relief when they saw that he's safe). After a while of them jumping down onto the swinging bar one by one then onto the pipe, they climbed up the pipe behind Cloud easily to the Upper Plate, without any interference/obstacles of any kind.

Once they've climbed and reached the Upper Plate, all five of them stood up and raised their heads to glance up at Shinra company which loomed tall over the Sectors and its citizens like a gigantic, monstrous being. Absolute silence reigned on the entire sector/town around them, with several searchlights lit up and shining up to the night sky. Above them, they could also see a single helicopter flying on the night sky.

" _How could Laina, Cloud and I worked for Shinra company for the past few years before we joined AVALANCHE and thought of them as a good company after all the terrible things they've done, like wiping out the Sector 7 Plate/slums, took Aeris hostage and others?"_ thought Angelina with a dark scowl on her face.

" _Hold on a bit longer, Aeris."_ thought Laina as she glared at Shinra company. _"We'll saved you soon. And, I'll finally get to see you after almost 6 years apart, Phemie, my younger sister."_

Cloud had one hand grasping on the handle of the Buster Sword behind him, while both Angelina and Laina had their right hands raised and grasping their blackish-silver naginata and Geneva saber behind them, with Barret's gun-arm locked, loaded and ready and Tifa putting on her glove fists firmly into place for the unavoidable battle ahead of them. Cloud glance over his shoulder at all four of them and nodded, which they nodded back to him. Cloud then turned his head back to the front and they began to run toward the Shinra company to commence their rescue mission.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Up the stairs we go**

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and Barret run until they stopped in their tracks just outside the main entrance of Shinra company and looked up at the towering building before them. Now that they're this close to the company, they could see how tall and huge it is. One of their companion/friend, Aeris is inside the building somewhere but they've no idea which floor she's on. Furthermore, the person who is responsible for destroying Sector 7 and killing many people living above and below it, the president of Shinra, is also in there as well, at the topmost floor and probably protected by dozens of his securities/followers working in Shinra company.

"Hey, you three oughta know this building well." said Barret as he turned to glance at Cloud, Angelina and Laina.

"…Not really for me and Angie, now that I think about it." Cloud admitted with a shake of his head.

"Cloud's right, Barret." said Angelina. "This is the first time Cloud and I've ever been to Shinra headquarters. But Laina probably knows the place well since she was a member of SOLDIER longer than we both do."

"Not exactly, Angelina." said Laina with a small sigh. "I may have stayed longer in SOLDIER before you two joined up years before we left but we members of SOLDIER all spend our free time on the 49 floor of the company doing our own things, and that is when the company didn't briefed any missions for us to do. As for the rest of the floors above 49, I absolutely have no idea at all."

"Oh, really?" said Barret, glancing away from Laina and walked past Cloud, Angelina and Tifa and looked up at the huge/tall building again. "Well, I heard about this place before," Barret began telling them. "Every floor above the 60th is special and not easy to get access to even for their employees…"

"Then those floors must be where they took Aeris." deduced Angelina.

"The security's pretty light now. Awright, let's go!" said Barret eagerly, running forward toward the main entrance of the building.

"Wait a second!" said Tifa out loud suddenly to Barret, causing him to halted in his tracks, turned his head and gave her an annoyed look. "You can't be thinking of just bursting straight through the main entrance, are you?"

"Well, what does it look like!?" snapped Barret. "I'm gonna kicked some Shinra butt and…"

"That's not going to work!" insisted Tifa anxiously. "We've got to find another way…"

"Tifa's right, Barret." agreed Angelina. "We should start looking for one…"

"Ain't gonna be no other way!" Barret yelled at both Tifa and Angelina, annoyed and angry at their protests. "If we keep wastin' time like this, Aeris'll…"

"We know that already, Barret!" snapped Angelina.

"But if we get caught here…" said Tifa, sighing deeply and shook her head. She then turned to looked at Cloud and Laina, who kept silent while gazing up at the company during their argument. "Cloud, Laina, what should we do?"

Cloud and Laina glance away from the tall company to look at Tifa. "I agreed with Tifa. We should be careful and sneak in quietly." replied Cloud with Laina nodding her head in agreement.

"See?" said Tifa triumphantly at Barret. "They agreed as well! Now, let's see if we can find a different route!"

"Ugh, fine, SOLDIER guy!" growled Barret angrily. "We'll do it your way for now!"

"Stop arguing already, Barret!" snapped Laina at Barret while looking around and soon spotted a long, wide alleyway to the left side of Shinra building. "Look over there! There's our way in!"

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret turned to looked at the place where Laina pointed, looked back at her and gave her grateful looks (except Barret) before turning and heading toward and into the wide alleyway to the left side of Shinra building. As they walked further into the wide alleyway, they stopped after they saw a thick and rusted metal door before them. Tifa stepped forward, pulled the handle of the metal door back and was quite surprised when the door opened outward easily for her. Tifa opened the rusted metal door wider and they all went in one by one through the door into Shinra building, looked around and saw a very long staircase before them, which wound round and round above them, going up at least 60 floors high. Barret widened his eyes in awed and surprised when he saw how high up the staircase went.

"Yo, you all… Are we really going to take all these stairs all the way up?" said Barret, gulping his throat.

"Well, we've got to get to Aeris to saved her, somehow." said Tifa as she glance sideways at Barret.

"Yeah, I know that." grumbled Barret while shaking his head. "But man, talk about out of the way…"

"I don't have time to argue with you!" yelled Tifa, shaking and clenching her fists angrily before she began running up the stairs. "I'm going!"

"Hey, wait Tifa!" Angelina called out to her as she run up the stairs. "Don't go off alone!"

"Hey! Wait a minute, you two!" Laina called out to them as she run up the stairs after them as well. "We have to stick together! Who knows what kind of attacks and traps Shinra has in store for us?"

"H-Hey!" Barret called out to them. "Sheesh, women nowadays…"

Cloud and Barret exchange glances with each other before they both too run up the stairs after the three women, who got a few seconds head start before them. Cloud and Barret soon caught up to them since they're both physically stronger than the three women, but after a couple of turns on the winding staircase, Cloud and Barret began to feel the first strain of tiredness.

"Don't know… Why… the hell… we gotta… climb." complain Barret while he began to panted heavily.

"… Because we don't want to start a commotion until we've found and saved Aeris." replied Cloud simply as he ran up the stairs. "I doubt that's possible, though…"

"…Heh, heh, heh," Barret chuckled quietly while smiling to himself.

"Knock it off!" Cloud snapped as he glance over his shoulder to look back at Barret. "You're giving me the creeps."

" _Oh, really, Cloud?"_ thought Laina slightly amusedly to herself.

They lapsed into silence for a while as they kept running up the next few flights of stairs. As they reached stairway number 17, Barret decided to speak to Cloud again.

"So, spiky. Even you and your two SOLDIER pals will fight for someone else. I had you figured wrong, I guess."

"Who cares what you figured!" snapped Cloud.

"I'm just sayin' mebbe I was wrong… about three of ya." Barret told them.

"Really? How awfully… nice of you for saying that to us, Barret." said Laina.

"Heh, heh, heh…" chuckled both Angelina and Tifa to themselves this time.

"Why are you two laughing now, Angie, Tifa?" Cloud demanded to them both.

Both Angelina and Tifa didn't answer him, instead they picked up their pace and kept on running up the stairs. They had no idea on which floor they're on now or how many flights of stairs they've run on, but it doesn't matter to them because they still have to kept on running up anyway.

"How much farther do these stairs go on?" Barret complain again.

"Why don't you asked them?" said Angelina sarcastically.

"It's not one of those endless stairways or somethin', d'ya think?"

"Of course not!" retorted Tifa, rolling her eyes.

"Right…" said Barret with a nod of his head. "Couldn't be that…"

"Yeah, so stop asking us anymore stupid questions, Barret." said Laina sarcastically to him, which had him spewing profanities back at her, which she ignored.

They continued their running and had reached half of the stairs by now but still the winding staircase seemed long and high above them. Utter weariness had set in on Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret now, causing their bodies to sweat profusely, their chests to heaved heavily with each breath and their legs to burn immensely as they ran. Even Laina, who's been in SOLDIER longer than both Cloud and Angelina (which they didn't), began to sweat slightly and panted heavily as well.

"Are we there yet?" asked Barret suddenly.

"Not yet." replied Laina, rolling her eyes. They kept silent for a few seconds as they run up a few more stairs before Barret began asking a second time.

"…There yet?"

"Not yet!" retorted Angelina. Barret fell silent again and began to asked a third time.

"Yo…"

"Look, don't even ask anymore!" snarled Tifa as she suddenly turned around and glared down at Barret, which make both him and Cloud halted in their tracks and felt afraid of her. "We're all way, way, way, way far away from being there, ok?"

After she told Barret off, she turned back around and continue her running up the stairs. Soon she began to pull away from the four of them, her running fueled by the anger which still lingers in her body. Barret lapsed into silence and continue running up the stairs, leaving Cloud, Angelina and Laina behind. Cloud and Angelina decided to stop and catch their breath for a while and Laina stayed with them until they both rest and catch their breath enough before they began running up the stairs and soon caught up with both Barret and Tifa.

"Damn, man!" yelled Barret. "I've had it! I'm going back down!"

"And take just as long going down as you did coming up minutes ago?" retorted Tifa.

"…"

"Idiot." said Laina in a small voice to herself which got heard by Angelina running near her and she giggled a little (Laina smirked a little when she heard Angelina giggle). After a few seconds, Cloud, Angelina and Laina had to stop to wait for both Tifa and Barret (who's standing a few steps of the stairs above them) as they both panted heavily, trying to catch their breaths while their faces were very red due to running up the stairs.

"C'mon, Barret!" said Tifa in an encouraging tone to Barret. "Pull it together!"

"Yeah, Barret." said Laina. "Just a couple more stairs to go."

"Yeah, well all I know is I'm just flesh 'n' blood…" said Barret as he panted heavily and his eyes glanced down at his gun-arm near his knees. "Cept for this gun-arm of mine. Don't treat me like I'm some ex-members of SOLDIER or somethin'…"

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" said Angelina angrily as she glared at him while Cloud raised his eyebrows and Laina narrowed her eyes at Barret.

"What about me!?" Tifa demanded as she put her hands on her hips indignantly. "I'm human too! And so do the three of them! (Cloud, Angelina and Laina smiled gratefully at her) Oh, do and think whatever you want, I'm going on!"

She turned away from them and began to head up the stairs once again. However, after a few steps up the staircase, she suddenly stopped and turned around to glance uncomfortably down at them, especially Barret.

"…? Yaah!" yelled Tifa. "Barret! You go first!"

"What're you, ignorant?" said Barret. "I didn't mean that…"

"All right, all right!" Tifa said to him, but she still motioned for him to go on ahead of her. Barret shake his head at her and walked up the stairs before Tifa then he began running. "Cloud, you go on ahead too!" Tifa told Cloud as well and he shake his head at her (like Barret just did) before he run up the stairs past her as well.

"You chicken." Angelina said to Tifa as she went past her up the stairs after Cloud and Barret. After Angelina went past her, both Tifa and Laina followed them and continue their seemingly endless trek up the stairs in Shinra company. Right now, the ground floor of the seemingly endless staircase is a long way beneath them, but all five of them choose not to look down, they looked up at the stairs above them.

"Yo…" said Barret, panting heavily. "What floor is this now?"

"…I gave up counting." Tifa admitted, shrugging her shoulders.

"We're now on the 40th floor." replied Angelina in a loud voice as she glance over her shoulder down the stairs at both Tifa and Laina.

"Thanks for telling us, Angelina!" Laina called back at her.

"No problem, Laina!" replied Angelina again.

"Why they gotta build these buildings so damn tall?" grumbled Barret in an annoyed tone of voice as he ran on. "That Shinra… They're just no damn good."

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Tifa kept silent and ignored Barret's complain as they kept on running up the stairs. They had to stopped to catch their breaths for a few times on the stairs before they could continue their running.

"Huff… Man, I'm beat…" panted Barret, beginning to complain again. "Marlene, Daddy wanted to see your sweet face one more time…"

"Gaia, Barret!" yelled Tifa angrily, had enough with Barret's complain/whining. "Would you stop acting like a retard and run!?"

"Will you two ceased your whining/arguing already!" yelled Laina at both Barret and Tifa, which silence them. "We're almost there, just a few more stairs!... Maybe." added Laina under her breath, hoping that the stairs which they run on would quickly end soon.

Her prayer was answered when they run on the last few stairs and finally reached the very top of the staircases, which is the 59 or 60 floors. A single, wide-open metal door stood before them at the top of the stairs with a faint trickle of blue light seeping through the slit in the doorway. Both Tifa and Barret were very relieved to finally stop their relentless running up the stairs and rested their tired/aching legs, with sweat falling profusely down their faces and bodies and leaning over with their hands near their knees.

"F… finally… M…made it…" panted Barret as he breath heavily. "N…never wanna see… no more stairs the rest of my life…" Barret finished saying before he pushed himself firmly to his feet and walked slowly through the opened door first.

"Huff… puff… this really takes it out of you…" panted Tifa as she breathed heavily as well. "But this is it! We'd better get ready…!" Tifa told Cloud, Angelina and Laina (who waited by the door for both Barret and Tifa to finish catching their breaths) and they all nodded to each other before Tifa firmly stood up and went through the opened door. Cloud, Angelina and Laina (after resting and catching their breaths) then walked through the opened doorway after Tifa and they finally step into the building.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Getting keycards and solving puzzles**

Once they stepped onto floor 59 within Shinra building, they saw three security guards in red-uniformed outfits is standing and guarding two elevators which is sealed–up now at the other side of the floor. No doubt that they were stationed next to the elevators to prevent their ordinary employees (or people like Cloud and his companions/friends) from going to any of the floors above them. Luckily for Cloud and the others, the three security guards were the only peoples on the 59 floor.

"Eliminate the intruders!" shouted the middle guard when he saw Cloud and his companions coming toward them before he and his fellow guards on his left and right charge toward them.

Before Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret could begin attacking the three security guards charging toward them, Laina took the lead by stepping forward past them and before the three security guards could strike her or shoot her down with their assault rifles strapped to their sides, they got flung away from her by some invisible force and their backs and heads knocked against the door of the sealed elevators hard which make them groaned before they all fell face-down on the floor. After they fell, something small and rectangular flew out of one of the security guard pocket and skidded across the floor, stopping by Angelina's boots.

"Dear Gaia…" said Angelina as she glance back and forth at Laina and the three unconscious security guards which she flung away without touching (since this is the first time she and Cloud see her used her "Telekinesis" power on other people) before noticing the small rectangular item by her boots and kneel down to picked it up.

"What that you got there in your hands, Angie?" asked Cloud as he noticed the small, rectangular item in Angelina's hands.

"It looks like some kind of security card with the number "60" carved on it." replied Angelina as she stared down at it.

"It's a keycard, Angelina, Cloud." Laina explained to them both. "A keycard which can take us to the 60 floor above us."

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret glance down at the keycard in Angelina's hands and smiled a little at Laina before Angelina handed the keycard over to Cloud, who take it and went toward one of the two sealed-up elevators which the three unconscious securities were guarding and he saw a control panel used to choose and bring people to their designated floors and a swipe slot for the keycard. Cloud swiped the keycard through the swipe slot and the elevator doors opened and he entered it, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and Barret followed suit after him. After they stepped into the elevator, they heard s beeping sound coming from the control panel outside the elevator and the elevator door closed-up in front of them before the elevator shudder a little and began to move upward to floor 60.

"This is the real thing." warned Barret to all four of them. "Don't any of you let your guard down."

"I hope Aeris is all right." said Tifa, worried for Aeris.

"Don't worry, Tifa." said Laina in a reassuring tone to Tifa. "I'm sure she's all right. By now she's probably waiting for us to saved her."

"Yeah, like what Laina just said, Tifa." said Angelina, patting Tifa's back. "So don't worry about it."

Tifa glance over at both Laina and Angelina and nodded to them while the elevator bring them upward.

XXXX

Within the security room inside Shinra company, a lone Shinra security guard is sitting while sleeping peacefully on his chair, with dozens of television monitors connected to dozens of CCTV cameras installed on every floors inside the company and were now focusing on various parts of the lower/upper levels of Shinra company. The many green lights below the dozens of television monitors tell him that everything was fine and dandy in the company now so he decided to take a nap.

After he fell asleep, one of the lights below one of the television monitors turned from green to red and began flashing brightly, but still the security guard slept on, completely unaware to it. The monitor showed two elevators on the 60th floor and one of the elevators door opened to let out five intruders, two men and three women which were gathered inside.

XXXX

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and Barret stepped out of the elevator onto the 60th floor, looked around the various rooms on the floor for a few seconds before they turned to their left and headed toward and into a small room which had a huge, grey cupboard on its left, a large computer installed onto the wall with two, empty purple chairs in front of it with a smaller, grey cupboard on the right of the large computer and chairs.

"Lookit that, all them guards is runnin' around." growled Barret angrily as he, Tifa and Cloud opened the second side-door of the small room they're now in and peeked through the small crack of the side-door at the security guards patrolling behind right then left behind the yellow-coloured pillars (while both Laina and Angelina stared at them with slightly amused looks on both their faces).

"Cloud, you go on ahead first and signal us when it's safe for us to come out after you." Barret told Cloud, who nodded without looking at Barret and he peeked out the side-door again to observed the security guards patrolling patterns even closely. Once Cloud's sure that he memorized their patrolling patterns, he quickly and quietly opened the side-door wider, crouch down and slipped out of the side-door, toward the first yellow pillar, stood up and pressed his back against it before slowly looking over his shoulder and the yellow pillar at the security guards who's now turning and walking toward him on the other side of the yellow pillar. He saw them stop walking for a few seconds then turned away and began to walked back to their left and that's when Cloud made a stealthy dash for the second yellow pillar in between the first and third yellow pillar and made it just as the security guards turned and headed to their right again. Cloud stood silently behind the second, middle pillar and waited for the security guards who stood on either side of the second pillar behind him to turned and walked further down to their right before Cloud quickly and quietly dash for the third and final yellow pillar before dashing quickly and quietly again for the middle metallic structure. He pressed his back against the structure and letting out a heavy yet relieved sigh before he looked up to his left at the opened side-door where Angelina and the others were waiting and signalled to them to come forward.

Cloud slowly signalled them to move forward one by one toward the yellow pillars then toward the metallic structure where he's waiting while also signaling them to hide behind the yellows pillars to avoid be detected or seen by the security guards patrolling on the other side of the pillars. After a while, they managed to avoid the security guards from detecting/seeing them (thanks to Cloud) going from pillar to pillar to joined up with Cloud before they each move quickly and quietly away from the middle metallic structure and across the other three yellow pillars on the right side of the middle metallic structure one by one past the three other security guards until they reached the last, yellow pillar at the other side of the floor and stopped near a door with a staircase inside which leads up to the next floor. Once they move away from the last pillar quickly and quietly one by one and went through the door into the room with the staircase inside it, Barret began to grinned proudly.

"Okay!" said Barret happily to them. "We gonna rock!"

"Remember, we're here to saved Aeris." said Tifa sternly at Barret.

"Hell, I know that, Tifa!" snapped Barret as he turned to glared at her lightly and didn't noticed Laina rolling her eyes or Angelina shaking her head behind him.

After that, all five of them turned and headed up the staircase towards the 61st floor above. As they walked up the stairs and reached the next floor, they were surprised to see that the door leading into floor 61st is unlocked and wide open (except for Laina). They also noticed another doorway against the wall on the slightly far left side on the floor and when they went toward it, they saw that it's sealed-up so they've no choice but to search for the keycard on floor 61st which can opened the sealed door for them.

The 61st floor which they're now on seemed to be a large cafeteria/common room for its staffs/employees who worked in Shinra company, which span the length of and encompassing most of the 61st floor. It was quite vast with many round-shaped clear, metallic dining tables with several red-coloured chairs around it, with dozens of green plants/shrubbery in several huge, expensive-looking vases leaning against the wall on the pristine, marble floor with a huge, birch tree located in the centre of the floor.

"Who the hell are you people?" said a male voice suddenly from behind them. "What're you people doin' around here on this floor?"

Cloud and his group of four people turned around swiftly to looked at the person behind them and they saw a man wearing a black Shinra executive outfit with a white necktie standing behind them, staring at them (mostly on their outfits and the weapons they carried) with a suspicious look on his face. Before Cloud and the others could do something, the executive man suddenly wipe away the suspicious look on his face and gave them a small smile.

"Oh, I see. So you all must be that whatcha call it…" the executive guy trailed off for a second, closed his eyes and trying to remember then opened his eyes a second later when he finally remember. "Shinra, Inc. Repair Division!"

"Shinra, Inc. Repair Division?" said Tifa, confused.

"You know, it looks like this building is starting to fall apart." The executive guy began telling/explaining to them while pointing his finger at the opened door which they just came through. "This door was just pushed open. You people ought to fix this right away. Oh yeah, before I forget, you people should go and take a look on the other floors too. Here, I'll give you this Keycard." The executive guy pulled out a Keycard with the number "62" carved onto it and handed it to Cloud before he turned and walked away from them.

Cloud glance at the Keycard he's now holding before he shrugged his shoulders, turned and headed toward the sealed-up door with the others following behind him, swiped the Keycard through the slot machine next to the door, waited for it to slid open and when it did, they stepped through it into another elevator. Cloud pressed the button with the number 62 on it and the elevator door closed before it bring them up to the next floor, stopped and opened the door. Cloud and the others stepped out of the elevator into the next floor, looked around and saw that it's a huge library, with many shelves which contained many books on them about Weapons, Vehicles/Motorcycles, Planet Study, Space Program, Midgar's Urban Development (written by Director Reeve and Miss Devereaux) and others. At the far left end of the library, Cloud and the others noticed a small room with light peeking out from under the crack of the door. With nothing to do (they don't wish to waste time in reading the books), they went toward the small room, stood before the door, looked up and saw that the door had a large, rectangular metal plate with the single, large word "MAYOR" carved onto it bolted on the door.

"Have any of you ever met this "mayor" person before?" Cloud asked Angelina, Laina, Barret and Tifa as he turned to glance at them.

"Nope. Never, Cloud." replied Angelina, shaking her head.

"Not many of us had ever seen him in person." said Tifa. "In fact, most of the people living in Midgar probably have forgotten about him since Shinra held most of the control in this city."

"Damn Shinra company." growled Barret.

"Even so, he's still an important person in a way." said Laina, crossing her arms. "He should have a Keycard which can take us up higher to the other floors and find where they held Aeris."

Both Cloud and Barret exchange glances with each other then at the three women with them and without hesitating, Cloud pushed the door opened and they all went through the door into the "Mayor" room. As they stepped into the room, they looked around and saw that the inside of the room looked like a librarian room instead of the kind of room fit for someone as important as the mayor. There were two shelves containing file folders and thick leather books on them to their left, a semi-large grey, rectangular table with scattered papers strewn on it in front of them next to a small television set. The mayor himself was standing with his back to them near the television set, wearing a brown business suit with matching pants and black shoes and mumbling quietly to himself as he go through some files/documents he's currently holding in his hands. He looked up and turned around when he heard the door opening and saw five people standing behind him, watching him fiercely (Barret especially) and warily.

"Hmm? Oh, and who might you people be?" the mayor asked them while staring at them but got no answer. "You all must be those… ahem…" the mayor coughed slightly. "Me? I'm Domino Villiers, the Mayor of Midgar."

"Uh-huh." said Barret, crossing his arms.

"Actually, I'm mayor in name only." continued Domino. "The city and everything in it is run by Shinra, Inc. My only real job is watching over these Shinra's files/documents…" he gestured at the files/documents he's holding to them. "Me! The Mayor! A librarian!"

Domino abruptly stop talking when he saw Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and Barret began to glared at him.

"Ohh… you all want to get upstairs?" Domino asked and assumed, folding his arms. "I'll tell you what, if any of you can guess my password correctly then I'll give you my Keycard. Yes, that's it! Guess my password correctly and I'll give you my Keycard! If any of you can get it correct on the first try, I'll even throw in a special item!"

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and Barret all raised their eyebrows at Mayor Domino before they turned to one another and began to bicker quietly amongst themselves, trying to come up with any word which might or might not be the password Mayor Domino wanted them to guess. After a few seconds, Cloud, Angelina and Laina decided to move away from both Barret and Tifa (who's arguing about whether Barret himself should just snatch the Keycard from Mayor Domino which Tifa didn't agreed too) and looked around the small room. Cloud and Angelina went to check on the shelves with file folders and thick leather books on them while Laina went to check the scattered papers lying on the table. She then noticed a single paper about scientific report on Mako energy and materia, along with a little drawing of the Mayor himself holding Mako energy in the palm of his hand. She stood upright, stepped away from the table and turned to look at the mayor again.

"Have you figured out the password, missy?" asked Domino patiently to Laina and she nodded. "Then tell me. So, what's the password?"

Laina glance over at Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret (who stop arguing now) who glance back at her before glancing back at Domino. "Is it Best?"

Domino stared blankly and silently at her for a few seconds before a large grin spread over his face. "BEST!" said Domino suddenly in a loud, joyful voice which startled Barret, Tifa and Angelina a little. "Gaia, I love the sound of that! BEST! I AM the best… ME! No matter what anyone else says, you better believe it. …Hmmm, very good, missy. Well, okay. Here, take it." Domino pulled out his Keycard from his pocket with the number "65" carved onto it and handed it over to Laina, who take it.

"To be honest, I never thought that you'd get it correct on the first try, missy." admitted Domino while he scratches the back of his head. "Just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover. Oh well, a promise is a promise. Take this, too, missy."

Domino pulled out a blue-coloured materia from his other pocket and handed it over to Laina, who take it as well before glancing down at it and saw that it's an Elemental materia.

"Why would you do something like this, sir?" asked Angelina, confused.

"Why would I do something like this, you asked, missy?" said Domino, narrowing his eyes. "To mess with them, of course! Those arrogant Shinra people like Heidegger and Scarlet been torturing me forever. That's why I was a little rough on you all just now. Now go up there and really make them pay. This ought to make us even! Heh heh heh…"

Laina went over to Cloud and Angelina and passed the Elemental materia over to Angelina (who smiled at her before putting it on one of the empty slot hole on her naginata) before they left the room with the now laughing mayor in it and headed back toward the elevator, swiped the Keycard which mayor Domino just gave them through the slot machine next to it and waited for it to open, went in and the elevator began to take them up to floor 65, passed floor 63 (which looks like a maze of many, small storage rooms) and floor 64 (which is a gym/resting room for Shinra employees).

The elevator stopped at floor 65 and they all stepped out of it after the door opened, looked around and saw many small rooms around a large room in the middle of the floor. Cloud and the others went toward the large room, went through the door and saw a large, scale model of the entire city of Midgar within the room. They all looked at it and saw that the model was identical to the city of Midgar in every nook, cranny and way, including the layout of Midgar's plates and reactors. But still the model was incomplete as some pieces of it, especially parts of the plates were missing.

"A huge model of the city of Midgar… born from Mako sucked right out of the earth." said Cloud quietly as he gazed at the model.

"But parts of the model are missing." pointed out Angelina as she glance at all the seven empty spots on the model.

"Then we should find those missing parts." said Laina. "They must be scattered in the small rooms around this floor."

They all looked at Laina and nodded before they all left the room and split up to find the missing parts within the many small rooms on floor 65. After they found them and reunited outside the large room in the middle of the floor, they all went in and placed the missing parts onto the empty holes of the model of Midgar. After they each put the missing parts onto the model of Midgar and completed it, they heard a loud and clear clicking sound from somewhere outside of the room.

"Did you guys hear that?" asked Tifa.

"…Sounds like something opened up…" replied Cloud.

They left the room, turned left and went into the small room next to it. Inside the room, they saw a closed-up yellow treasure box leaning against a staircase which leads back down onto floor 64 and Cloud approach it, kneel down and opened the treasure box. Another Keycard with the number "66" carved on it lay inside the treasure box and Cloud picked it up and showed it to the others. Angelina, Laina, Tifa and barret smiled when they saw the Keycard Cloud's holding in his hand before they all turned around, left the room and quickly headed toward the elevator to head up to floor 66 above.

Once they've stepped off the elevator onto floor 66, looked around and saw many small office rooms with many people walking around or working in their office rooms, they suddenly saw the President of Shinra with several of his top employees following behind him coming their way from the left and they quickly turned to their right and hide inside an office room (which luckily is empty of Shinra employee) to avoid be seen by them. They then opened the office door a crack to peered at President Shinra and his top employees and saw them went into a large conference/meeting room in the middle of floor 66 and locked the door firmly behind them. After they went into the conference/meeting room, Cloud and the others behind him stepped out of the room and stopped outside the now locked-up conference/meeting room.

"Now what?" said Barret as he glance at the others.

"We need to hear what they're talking about or what's going on in there." replied Cloud as he looked at the locked door. "But how to get in and hear their conversation…"

They all lapsed into silence, pondering on how they're going eavesdrop into their meeting inside the room when Laina suddenly recalled a secret way somewhere (which she heard by accident from other soldier operatives while she's still in SOLDIER years ago) on floor 66 which could allowed them to eavesdrop on their conversations and she quickly tell Cloud and the others about it before showing them the way. They followed her and widened their eyes in surprised when she ran into the toilet room, exchange glances with each other before they went into the toilet room after her. Once they are inside, they saw her standing outside one of the cubicles at the end of the room, pointing her finger up at an overhanging grate which ran between each floor and they finally realised what Laina was thinking about and approach her. Cloud stepped onto the toilet (after he closed the lid) and began fiddling with the latch on it until the latch come undone before he pushed the grate up into the side, grabbed onto the side of the duct and pushed himself up into it. One by one, the others followed Cloud and climbed/pushed themselves into the duct passageway (which luckily fit all of their height/weight) before they saw a bright light shining up into the duct from another grate hole a few feet in front of them. They then began to crawled toward the light (which came from the conference/meeting room), stopped around it and glance down at the conference/meeting room, where the meeting was about to begin.

"Geez-!" exclaimed Barret as he glance at Cloud next to him. "That's a lotta suits!"

"Be quiet, you!" hissed Laina in a small voice at Barret and he lapsed into silence again to hear what they're talking about. They all saw as President Shinra sat down in his own chair at the head of the rectangular, marble table with a formal look on his face as he glance at all four of his top employees. To his right sat Director Heidegger, Head of Public Safety Maintenance, in his dark green business suit with a very smug look on his hairy face and Director Palmer, Head of the Space Exploration Program next to him, an elderly, plump-looking man wearing a brown business suit with matching long pants and a jolly-looking face which made him stand out quite a lot amongst the other serious Shinra employees around him. To his left and opposite Heidegger and Palmer sat Director Scarlet, Head of Weapons Development, wearing a sleeveless long, red silk dress with one long slit on the right side of the dress which reveal most of her right leg, a cold and smug look on her face with her long, blonde hair tied up behind her and Director Reeve, Head of Midgar's Urban Development next to her, wearing a dark blue business suit with matching pants and had an uncomfortable/concerned look on his face about the recent events which had just happened.

"We have the damage estimates for the entire Sector 7." Reeve said to the president as he began the meeting. "Considering those factories which we already set up and all the investments, the damage is estimated at approximately 10 billion gil… The estimated cost for us to rebuild Sector 7 is…"

"We're not rebuilding." President Shinra cut Reeve off mid-sentence.

"What?" said Reeve, blinking surprisingly at the president.

"We're leaving Sector 7 as it is." said the president. "And restarting the "Neo-Midgar" plan."

" _You son of a bitch."_ thought Barret angrily to himself as he glared down at the president.

" _The "Neo-Midgar" plan?"_ thought Angelina to herself, confused.

"…Then the "Ancients"?" Reeve asked the president.

"The "Promised Land" will soon be ours." replied the president in a reassuring tone of voice to Reeve before he glance over at him. "Reeve, I want you to raise the Mako rates up to 15% in every area."

"Rate hike! Rate hike! Tra, la, la!" said Palmer loudly and suddenly, staring at the president with an excited look on his face while he jumped up and down on his leather chair like a spoiled, little kid. "And please include our Space program in the budget!"

"Both Reeve and Scarlet will divide the extra income from the rate increase." President Shinra told Palmer as he closed his eyes.

After Palmer heard what the president said to him, he immediately stopped his excited jumping and froze in his chair, his hope crushed to pieces. "Oh man!" wailed Palmer as he dropped his head pitifully on the table and shook it.

"But sir," protested Reeve to the president, ignoring Palmer's pitiful acting. "If you raise the rates, the people will lose confidence swiftly…"

" _At least someone cares about the peoples."_ thought Laina with a small smile on her face as she glance down at Reeve.

"Don't you worry, Reeve. It'll be all right." President Shinra reassured Reeve again. "The ignorant citizens won't lose confidence, they'll trust Shinra, Inc. even more."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" laughed Heidegger. "You're right, president! After all, we're the ones who saved Sector 7 from AVALANCHE!" taunted Heidegger before he laughed again.

"That lying, dirty #$*$#!" Barret cursed furiously in a small voice, looking ready to burst through the grate hole into the meeting and killed everyone with his gun-arm. But he decided to calm himself down and continued to looked down at the people sitting and talking in the room, his fists shaking uncontrollably.

The next second, all five of them heard the door to the conference/meeting room opened and they leaned down as far as they could to see who is it that came in. The person who came in was a kind of scientist man named Professor Hojo who had a very pale yet emotionless looking face with a set of small glasses covering the cold, callous look in his eyes, long and slick black hair tied-up into a ponytail which ran down past his shoulders and wearing a long, white lab-coat over a grey T-shirt with long, brown trousers and black shoes. A despicable man who did experiments on Laina herself, Zack Fair (the man which Laina used to love and lose), Cloud Strife and Angelina Pierce (and probably others) in the basement laboratory under Shinra Manor in Nibelheim for 4 years without their permissions and caused both Cloud and Angelina into a mako addiction state which nearly cost their lifes. A man which Laina Donovan never, ever wanted to see for the rest of her life. Laina's eyes flared up with hatred as she and the others (same goes for President Shinra and his top four employees) glance down at Hojo who entered the room with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Hojo," said the president as he glance at Hojo. "How's the girl?"

Hojo glance at the president and reported his analysis to him. "As a specimen, she is inferior to her mother, Ifalna. I'm still in the process of comparing her to her mother but for now the difference is 18% percent."

"How long will this research take?" the President asked Hojo.

Hojo tilted his head to glance up at the ceiling. "Probably 120 years." answered Hojo while he considers all the factors/procedures needed for his research in his mind.

"120 years?" spluttered Scarlet.

"It's probably impossible to finish in our lifetimes. Or in the lifetime of the specimen too, for that matter." said Hojo as he lowered his head and turned to looked away from the President and his top employees. "That's why we're thinking of breeding her. Then we could create one that could withstand our research for a long time."

" _Say what? He's thinking of breeding Aeris?"_ thought Angelina in shocked then anger at Hojo. " _You bastard!"_

"What about the "Promised Land"?" asked President Shinra. "Won't it hinder our plan?"

"That's what I need to know and plan," said Hojo as he folded his arms over his chest. "The mother is strong… and yet has her weaknesses." Hojo then covered his mouth with his right hand and began to chuckled darkly until he stopped. "Oh, if only those four test subjects of mine had not escaped from Shinra Manor three years ago then my research might have gone on smoothly without any delay."

Laina clench her hand tightly into a fist, her face a mask of more anger/hatred when she heard what Hojo just said to the President and his top four employees.

President Shinra nodded before he glance at his employees. "That concludes our meeting for tonight, everyone. Dismissed." he said to them before he stood up from his leather chair, turned and began to walked calmly toward the door and out of the conference/meeting room. Once he's out of the room, the other four employees and one scientist began to leave the room one by one in silence after the President. Director Scarlet stopped suddenly and glance up at the grate hole in the ceiling above her, curling her lips in utter disgust.

"Something stinks…" Scarlet muttered in a cold/unfeeling tone of voice before she looked away from the grate hole and left the conference/meeting room, shutting the door firmly behind her. After they're all gone, Cloud and the others slowly began to relax and breathe easily/freely once again.

"They were talking about Aeris… right?" Cloud asked the others with him.

"I dunno." replied Barret, shrugging his shoulders.

"Probably." said Tifa.

"Let's followed Hojo, everyone." said Laina to Cloud and the others. "He can lead us to where Aeris is."

They all nodded to her before they began to crawled backward one by one back the way they came through the duct passageway toward the grate hole on the ceiling in the toilet and climbed quietly back down into the empty cubicle. They then walked out of the toilet room, headed back to the conference/meeting room, went past it into the corridor and quickly leaned their backs against the wall outside the conference/meeting room when they saw Hojo walking down the corridor away from the conference/meeting room and into a small room with a staircase in it which went up to the 67th floor.

"Hojo… huh…?" said Cloud to himself as he and the others peered at Hojo (except for Laina, who's trying to calm herself down so that she won't go after Hojo and killed him off) as he went into the room and went upstairs to floor 67th before they all stepped away from the conference/meeting room wall, went down the corridor, went into the small room and went up the staircase after him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Saving Aeris, meeting Red XIII and battle against H0512 monster and Kunsel**

Hojo walked up the stairs to the next floor, went toward the sealed door, pulled out his own Keycard from his lab-coat pocket and swiped it on the slot machine next to the door, waited for it to opened and then went through it. But after he went through the door, he neglected to sealed it shut behind him and carry on walking down the corridor away from it, which is quite fine for Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and Barret as they followed quietly far behind him (to avoid him from detecting them) up onto the next level and stopped in their tracks at the top of the stairs near the opened door.

"I remember him." said Barret suddenly to Cloud and the three women as he crossed his arms over his chest. "That Hojo guy. He's in charge of the Shinra's Science Department. Don't the three of you know him?" Barret asked Cloud, Angelina and Laina.

"This is the first time Angie and I've actually ever seen him for the first time." Cloud admitted to Barret with a shake of his head. "So… that's what he looks like…"

"You all should be glad that this is the first and hopefully the last time you all get to see him." said Laina in a dark tone of voice to them, which had them glance over at her in confusion. They then choose to ignored her current dark mood and went through the opened door onto floor 67th. They turned to their right and walked down the corridor past several sealed-up offices (with the sounds of Shinra scientists typing on their computers and talking to other scientists inside the office rooms) after Hojo. The five of them soon caught sight of him as he stands before a large, cylindrical glass with his hands folded behind his back as he stared down at a kind of creature sealed within (Laina recalled this place in her memory as the same place where she protect Hojo reluctantly while Zack and Angeal went to fight Genesis). Cloud and the others stopped in their tracks, turned around and saw one of Hojo's scientist assistant coming their way. They quickly hide behind several large pile of wooden crates to their left next to a large, dome-like holding cell and observe Hojo and the other scientist/assistant guy who came to talk to him.

"Is this today's specimen, Professor Hojo?" asked the scientist/assistant guy.

"Yes." replied Hojo, without turning around to look at him. "We're starting right away. Raise it to the upper level now."

The scientist/assistant guy nodded before he turned and walked away to wherever the "Upper level" is, leaving Hojo (who continue to glance at the creature in the large, cylindrical glass) and Cloud and his companions (who's still hiding behind the wooden crates) behind.

After the scientist/assistant guy left, Hojo raised his left hand to gently tapped the side of the cylindrical glass to get a reaction from the creature sealed inside and got no response in return.

"My precious specimen…" whispered Hojo fondly to himself before turned and began to walked away from the creature and Cloud and the others hiding behind the wooden crates, toward the elevator, went in then went up.

Soon after he's gone, Cloud and the others stepped out from their hiding place and both Angelina and Tifa immediately walked toward the cylindrical glass to peered at the creature within while Cloud, Laina and Barret remained where they stood. Both of them saw that it was a very unusual four-legged creature which seems to be a mixture of a large red wolf/dog/beast about six feet in size, its strong, sturdy body coated in fine reddish/orange fur from its head down to its long, swaying tail which had a bright, yellow glow at the tip of it. A few scars covered part of its body and its left eye (which probably blinded its left eye now) and a black-coloured tattoo on its left shoulder which say XIII (meaning thirteen). Both Angelina and Tifa lightly tapped against the glass and the wolf/dog creature turned its head and briefly glance at them both with its right eye through the glass.

"Precious specimen…?" whispered Tifa softly as she glance at the wolf/dog creature within the cylindrical glass.

"Are they really going to use it for their biological experiment?" Angelina asked Cloud, Laina and Barret as she looked over her shoulder at them. Neither three of them answered her, which confirmed her fear and she glance back at the creature with a pitiful look on her face.

While they all lapsed into silence, Cloud slowly turned around and glance at the large, dome-like holding cell behind them. It's entire cell was made of an extremely thick plate of metal and a glowing, pink light was coming from within the dome, through the thick, glass panel on the thick, metallic door. Laina noticed him turned around to looked at the dome-like holding cell out of the corner of her eyes and she turned around to glance at it with him, saw a metal nameplate on the door below the thick, glass panel, read the name carved on it and her eyes widened in shocked/fear after she read it and she swiftly turned her back to it.

" _Jenova…?"_ thought Laina to herself as she remembered what the bastard Hojo had told her years ago in this room and also from Sephiroth when he read through those thick books in the basement laboratory under Shinra Manor in Nibelheim. " _Isn't this the "Calamity" who fell from the sky 2000 years ago? What is it doing here now? Did Hojo bring it here from Nibelheim?"_

Laina, who turned her back to the dome-like holding cell, was so lost in her shocking/fearful thoughts that she didn't noticed/see both Cloud and Angelina (who had turned around after she's seen enough of the wolf/dog creature) had walked nearer to the dome behind her, placed their hands onto the rim of the thick, glass panel and look inside. The sight which they both saw inside the dome-like, holding cell was unlike anything they've ever seen and it sent waves of chilling, cold fear down their spines. A naked form of a woman with bluish-grey skin on her entire body, with grotesque-looking lumps which looks eerily like eyes on parts of her body, several grotesque-looking reddish-like organs sticking out from her back and the back of her legs and from where the head of the creature woman should have been, there was nothing but a stump of her neck, as though someone or something had slice her head cleanly off her neck. But what was most terrifying to them both was that the creature woman inside the dome-like, holding cell was still moving a little- still alive, even without its head.

As both Cloud and Angelina stepped back and away from the creature woman within the dome-like, holding cell in shocked and fear, the wave of coldness and the sharp, piercing ringing struck Cloud's body and resonated loudly in Angelina's ears abruptly, making them both cried out in pain while their hands clutched their heads tightly before they both fell to their knees on the ground. Only then Laina (who turned around when she heard both Cloud and Angelina cried out), Tifa and Barret had noticed them fall to the ground and hurried over to them. Both Cloud and Angelina shake their heads (trying to relieved themselves of the coldness and ringing which struck their bodies and ears) and tried to get up but their legs were still weak and they fell but got caught by Laina and Tifa before they fell.

"No… Jenova…" Angelina moaned, hanging onto Laina's arms behind her.

"Jenova… Sephiroth…" moaned Cloud as well as Tifa placed her hands tightly on his shoulders to try to stabilized him. "So… they've brought it here."

"Yes. They did." replied Laina softly with a nod of her head.

"Cloud, Angie! Be strong!" Tifa urged at them both.

"We know, Tifa." said Angelina weakly.

"Did any of you see it?" Cloud asked them.

"See what, spiky?" Barret asked him back.

"The thing inside there…" replied Cloud as he pointed a slightly shaking finger at the dome-like holding cell. "It's moving… still alive?"

"But how can it still be alive without its…" said Angelina as she began pondering.

"That's probably because it's not human, Angelina." replied Laina softly to Angelina. "It can survive without it."

Barret walked forward to the dome-like holding cell past them and peered through the thick, glass panel at the creature woman inside. After a few seconds, he widened his eyes in shocked/fear (like both Cloud and Angelina) and take a few steps back from it.

"Where's its $#&*& head?" cursed Barret angrily before he turned to glance at all four of them. "This whole thing's stupid. Let's keep goin'."

Both Laina and Tifa nodded to Barret before they helped both Cloud and Angelina to stand up then they turned to their left and head deeper into the room, away from the cylindrical glass and the dome-like holding cell which had the wolf/dog creature and the creature woman sealed within. Soon they saw an elevator against the wall in the far corner of the room and both Barret and Cloud pulled the rusty gates opened and they all stepped into the elevator before Tifa pressed the "Up" button in the elevator and it began to jerk before it move, sending them up to the next floor. Once they reached the next floor (which is floor 68th) and stepped out of the elevator, they saw Hojo standing a few meters away from them on a small yellow path with short metal railings on either side of him which led away from the control room where the other scientist/assistant stood, surrounded/protected by a thick panel of glass as he worked on the controls inside the control room while he stared at Aeris, who's now sitting on the ground within a large, glass container with a fearful look on her face.

"Aeris!" Cloud and Angelina cried out when they saw her and Aeris, Hojo and his scientist/assistant all turned their heads to stared in surprise at Cloud and his four companions/friends, who came into the room without them noticing about it.

"Cloud! Angelina!" Aeris cried back in a relieved/happy tone of voice to them both.

"Aeris?" said Hojo blankly as he glance back and forth between Aeris and Cloud and his four companions/friends. "Oh, is that her name? What do you all want?"

"We're taking Aeris back with us." Angelina told Hojo as she glared at him.

"Humph, outsiders…" murmured Hojo quietly to himself, not showing a hint of fear in his face and voice at them or their words.

"Shoulda noticed it earlier, you…" said Barret with a dark scowl on his face.

"There's so many frivolous things in this world, this planet." said Hojo with a heavy sigh as he ignored and interrupt Barret's angry tirade. Barret got annoyed by his behavior and both he and Cloud began to ran forward to him and raised their gun-arm and Buster sword, pointing it straight at Hojo. "Are you two going to kill me? I don't think you two should." said Hojo as he glance over at them both, still not showing any fear of them. "The equipment here is extremely delicate. Without me, who could operate it? Hmmm?"

"Ugh." Cloud growled angrily.

"Damn you." hissed Angelina, in anger as well.

"That's right." said Hojo, smiling smugly to himself. "I recommend that any of you think things out logically before making any rash moves which may compromise your friend's safety." Hojo then turned to look over his shoulder at his scientist/assistant behind him. "Now, bring in the specimen!"

"Yes sir!" replied the scientist/assistant and his hand reached out to pressed one of the buttons on the control panel in front of him. Soon Cloud and the others heard a humming kind of noise which came from within the glass container where Aeris is and everyone (even Aeris) turned to looked at it as a circular-shaped trapdoor opened in the middle of the glass container, revealing a hole which led into the floor below. Aeris turned around then stepped back nervously, pressing her back against the glass wall of the container, waiting to see what's going to happen next (same goes for Cloud and the others). As they all watched, a circular panel rose up into the middle of the glass container, carrying the reddish/orange wolf/dog creature up with it. Aeris gaze fell upon the creature and her eyes began to widened in fear at the same time the wolf/dog creature stood up on its legs, turned around to glance at her and it began to snarled ferociously at her (which showed its sharp, white fangs) while it arched its back and its tail swayed back and forth behind it.

Aeris turned around to glance at Cloud and the others (who all run forward and now stood before the glass container) with a look of utter fear on her face and she began to raised and beat her hands on the glass container frantically. "Cloud, Angelina, everyone, help!" yelled Aeris in fear, her voice slightly muffled by the glass container. The wolf-dog creature behind her snarled then roared fiercely at her, causing her to yell for help a second time.

"You bastard!" yelled Angelina at Hojo in anger.

"What the hell do you think you're doin'?" Cloud demanded angrily at Hojo.

Hojo blinked his eyes then turned to looked at Cloud and the others. "Why, I'm lending a helping hand to these two endangered species, of course." replied Hojo simply while waving a hand at the fearful Aeris and the snarling wolf/dog creature inside the glass container. "Both of them are on the brink of extinction… if I don't help, all these animals will disappear."

"…Animal? How dare you! That's terrible!" yelled Tifa as she turned around to glared darkly at Hojo. "Aeris is a human being!"

"Open that fucking door and release her at once!" snarled Laina in anger as she stepped past Cloud and the others, walked toward Hojo, grabbed the collar of his white lab-coat, pull Geneva from her back and pressed it threateningly against his throat. "Or I'll kill you right here and now." She whisper angrily at him. "Besides, I've got a personal revenge of my own against you, Hojo."

Hojo stared at her for a few seconds then his eyes lit up when he recognized her. "I was wondering why you look familiar. It's you, Laina Donovan." said Hojo, smirking now which make Laina tighten her grip on his collar. "Have you come to return to being my test subject once again?"

"What?" said Angelina when she heard what he said and she turned to look at Laina with confused/suspicious on her face. "What does he mean by that, Laina?"

"You're gonna pay for this!" Barret roared angrily at Hojo which make Angelina, Laina and Hojo turned to look at him.

"Barret! Can't you do anything?" Cloud snapped at him. "That thing's gonna killed her!"

"Awright! Step back, both of you!" yelled Barret determinedly and both Cloud and Tifa quickly stepped away from the glass container and Barret, who raised his gun-arm and pointed it at the glass container.

"Stop!" pleaded Hojo when he realised what Barret's about to do. But his words came a second too late when Barret began firing on the glass container. Some of the bullets he fired bounce off the glass container and rolled/landed on the floor while other bullets managed to strike through the glass container, causing cracks to formed on it, weakening it. After a few seconds, a much louder humming sound began to emanate along with a bright glow of white light from inside. Aeris quickly covered her eyes from the bright white light before it could blinded her and Hojo pried himself free from Laina's tight grip and ran forward past Laina and Angelina to the glass container while pushing Barret rudely away from it.

"Wh… what have you do—" wailed Hojo as he try to look past the bright light at Aeris and the wolf/dog creature inside the glass container. "Oh! My precious specimen…" Hojo then calmed himself down and quickly pressed a button on the side door of the glass container to open the glass door. The humming sound and the bright glow of light slowly faded away after Hojo open the door and he glance into the glass container, only to see the wolf/dog creature looking angrily right at him before it jumped out of the glass container and pounce on Hojo, its fangs tearing savagely on Hojo's lab-coat and arms (which make him cried out in pain).

"Now's our chance to get Aeris!" Cloud tell both Barret and Tifa (who nodded as they watched the wolf/dog creature continue to mauled Hojo's arms while Angelina restrain Laina from Hojo) before he went into the glass container, saw Aeris lying on the container ground and helped her up.

"Thanks, Cloud." said Aeris in a thankful tone of voice to him before she turned and came out of the glass container. Cloud was about to followed her when he heard the humming sound from behind him, turned around and saw the circular platform in the middle of the glass container began to open and saw the elevator below began to carry something else up.

"Cloud… what's wrong?" asked Tifa as she glance at him.

"… The elevator is moving." Cloud told her and the others as he glance over at them.

"They are no ordinary specimens." Hojo warned them as he finally got himself free from the wolf/dog mauling and sat up, glancing at each of them. "They're a very ferocious specimens! Plus, one of the specimens is someone which you knew very well in the past, Laina Donovan."

"What do you mean by that?" Laina growled at him as she shrug Angelina away from her. He didn't answer her angry question and merely smirked slyly at her.

The wolf/dog creature, who had been mauling his arms until now, turned around to glance at them all. "They're rather strong." the wolf/dog creature said to them. "I'll help you all out."

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa, Aeris and Barret all stared at the talking wolf/dog creature in surprised/amazement.

"It talked!?" exclaimed Tifa as she gasped then covered her mouth with her gloved hands.

"Yes, I did." said the wolf/dog creature as it glance at Tifa. "And I'll talk as much as much as you want later, miss."

"Angie, Laina and I will help you in taking care of those monsters." Cloud said to the wolf/dog creature (who nodded to him) before he glance over at Barret, Tifa and Aeris (who's still shaking). "Tifa, Barret, take her somewhere safe… I'm counting on you both!"

Both Tifa and Barret nodded before they quickly take Aeris away to safety. Once they're out of sight, Cloud, Angelina and Laina turned to look at the wolf/dog creature, who looked back at them.

"What's your name?" Cloud asked the wolf/dog creature.

"Hojo has named me, Red XIII." replied the wolf/dog creature. "A name with no meaning whatsoever to me. Call me whatever you wish."

Cloud, Angelina and Laina all nodded their heads at Red XIII before they turn around, pull their sword and naginata weapons out from their backs and prepared themselves for battle as the elevator came to a stop and they saw the grotesque, ferocious-looking two-legged monster with menacing grayish claws on its long arms and white fangs on its face/mouth standing on it with three floating/jumping orange balls with spiky legs under them before they stepped off the elevator which went back down and came back up again with another of Hojo's ferocious specimens. The second specimen which came up after the monsters turns out to be a man about Laina's age, wearing the standard SOLDIER 2nd class purplish uniform (sleeveless shirt and pants) with black gloves on his hands, short black boots on his feets, a standard soldier sword strapped behind his back and a steel helmet on his head which covered his face. The man raised his head to glance at them, pull his helmet down from his head (to reveal a blank-looking face with short, wavy brown hair and mako-blue eyes) and Laina widened her eyes in shock while her body froze up when she saw the man's face and recognizes him.

"Kunsel?" said Laina as she stared at him and got no replies from him. Before the monsters and Kunsel could attack them, Cloud, Angelina and Red XIII make the first move, charging toward the monster three smaller orange ball minions floating in front of it and slash, clawed and gnawed them until they all fell silent and dead. Angelina then ran past both Cloud and Red XIII (and the smaller orange ball minions) toward the main monster, jumped and raised her naginata above her and slash it down on the monster's right long arm, leaving a long, gaping slit wound on its right long arm which began to bleed dark, green blood out (which make Angelina grimaced in disgust). The monster snarled in anger/pain as it turn its ugly head to glance down at Angelina before it swung its left, clawed arm right at her and hit/clawed her body hard before she went flying far from them and fall to the ground. She winced in pain at the bleeding, claw wounds on her body before she pull out a Cure materia from her pocket and casted it on herself. The claw wound on her body soon healed up and she stood up before charging forward to help both Cloud and Red XIII (who's now slashing/clawing at the monster).

XXXX

While Cloud, Angelina and Red XIII is busy fighting the grotesque monster, Kunsel pull his sword from his back, raised it above him, charge toward Laina with it and swung/strike down on her several times, which had her raised Geneva to deflected each of Kunsel's sword strikes on her.

"Stop it, Kunsel!" Laina yelled at him as she swung Geneva horizontally at him, which he dodged away. "It's me, Laina Donovan! Don't you recognize me?"

Kunsel didn't answer her, his face still as blank as a clean slate as he glance at her and he swung his sword at her again and managed to slash her left-side waist, deep and hard. Laina hissed when she felt him slash her left-side waist and she uses her "Telekinesis" on him, which sent him flying away from her and he crashed against some wooden crates lying in a corner of the room. She then look down at the wound on her left-side waist and saw that it began to healed and closed up by itself, without the use of any Cure materia (probably the Jenova cells inside her). She then narrowed her eyes in anger and turned her attention on Hojo, saw him entering the control room during the fight and she quickly turned and sprinted toward him but he swiftly closed the door behind him before she could get to him, locking her out.

"What have you done to my friend, Kunsel! You bastard!" Laina snarled angrily at Hojo outside the sealed door.

"What have I done to him, you ask?" replied Hojo from inside the control room. "He was snooping around for classified info inside Shinra company about you and that other 1st class soldier's death because he refused to believe/accept the news when Shinra company told him about it. So he got arrested by the Turks who interrogated then punished him for it before I took him from them, brainwashed him and make him into another of my test subject. Didn't I told you just now that one of my specimens is someone you used to know very well in the past, Laina Donovan?"

"You…" Laina snarled angrily again before she took a step back from the door and raised Geneva, intending to destroy the door with it but then she felt several, sudden sharp pains from her back which make her gasped in pain before she got down on one knee, lowered Geneva beside her, look over her shoulder at her back to see four, sharp icicles piercing her back, casted by Kunsel who had pull himself up and away from the ruined wooden crates.

"Kunsel…" said Laina sadly as she glance at him while using "Telekinesis" to pull the icicles out from her back and waited for the wounds to healed by themselves before she grabbed Geneva, stood up, turned around and both she and Kunsel charge toward each other, clashing their swords.

XXXX

The monster opened its mouth wide and breathed out a kind of sickly-purplish poison breath at Cloud, Angelina and Red XIII. Both Cloud and Angelina managed to avoid it but Red XIII didn't. The poison seeped into his body and Red XIII let out a small howl before he lie down on the ground. Angelina saw him go down and she swiftly went to him (while Cloud began casting thundara and fira on the monster), pull out Esuna materia and casted it on him which had him giving her a grateful look before he stood up and charge toward the monster, leaped up onto its grotesque body and began to bite and clawed furiously at it. The monster snarled at Red XIII before its left, long clawed arm reached out for Red XIII, grabbed hold of him and threw him right at Angelina, who unfortunately was in the way when she charge toward the monster. Red XIII collide against her (which make her grunted in pain) and they both fell back to the ground, hard.

Cloud saw the monster grabbed and threw Red XIII at Angelina which sent them both falling to the ground and he turned to glared at the monster before he charge toward it, raised his Buster sword above him, jumped and slashed its left, long clawed arm off of it, which make the monster roared out in pain/anger again as it glance down at the place where its left arm used to be attached is now bleeding out heavily.

XXXX

"Kunsel, stop it already!" said Laina as she dodged some of Kunsel's sword strikes and punches on her. "I don't want to fight you! Please try to remember!"

Kunsel continue staring at her blankly before he took a few steps away from her, pull out a blizzara materia from his pocket and casted it on her again. Several sharp icicles formed above her and she quickly dodged to the side before the icicles could pierce her like just now.

"Forgive me for what I'm about to do to you then, Kunsel." said Laina as she stared at him with a sad/pity look on her face. She stood up, raised her Geneva before her, close her eyes and rested her forehead on it at the same time Kunsel charge toward her with his sword raised to strike her down, but before he could inflict any wounds on her, slash wounds suddenly appeared on various parts of his body, arms and legs, which make him yell out in pain (while his blank look got replaced by a look of utter pain) before he dropped his sword and fell backward onto the ground. Laina opened her mako-coloured eyes, saw him lying on the ground with his wounds bleeding heavily from her "Exodus Blades" limit break which she just used and she hurried over to him (after putting Geneva back behind her), kneel down next to him and pulled out a Curaga materia to healed him.

" _Don't die, Kunsel! Don't die!"_ thought Laina worriedly as she kept on healing his slash wounds, recalling the time when she (along with both Cloud and Angelina) watch her husband, Zack Fair, die in her lap on the rocky cliff outside of Midgar.

After a while, she finished healing his wounds and waited worriedly for him to wake up. Soon she heard a pain-filled groan coming from him and watch with relieved when he weakly open his mako-coloured eyes.

"Lai…na?" said Kunsel, weakly. "Is it… really…you? Are…you…really…alive?"

"Yes, Kunsel! It's me, Laina! Your friend!" exclaimed Laina in a relieved tone of voice to Kunsel.

"I…knew…it." said Kunsel, turning his head to the side. "The…Shinra…company…did lie…to me…about…yours…and…Zack's…death. I'm…sorry…that I…attacked…you…Laina."

"That's okay, Kunsel." said Laina, reassuring him. "It's not your fault."

Kunsel turned to glance at her with a weak yet grateful look on his weary face before he closed his eyes and fell into a deep rest, with Laina staying near him as he rested on the ground, her hatred for Hojo put on hold for the moment.

XXXX

"Angie! Red XIII! It's getting weaker!" Cloud yelled at both Angelina and Red XIII when they see the monster struggling to stand up and try to attack them, to no avail. "Let's finish it off now!"

"Got it, Cloud!" replied Angelina, raising her naginata.

"Understood!" replied Red XIII, showing his fangs.

Both Angelina and Red XIII charge toward the monster and they began to slash and bite the monster even more fiercely, adding more wounds on it which make it roared out in pain again. Cloud then raised his sword above him, swung it down hard before him and he (along with Angelina and Red XIII) watched as a crescent-shaped energy came out of his Buster Sword (Cloud's third limit break, Blade Beam), heading rapidly toward the monster and hit it head on before it split the monster in half. The two halves of the now dead monster twitched for a while before it stopped and fell onto the ground.

Cloud, Angelina and Red XIII sighed then relaxed before both Cloud and Angelina placed their weapons back behind them, turned around and saw Barret, Tifa and Aeris coming toward them from their hiding place.

"Aeris, are you all right?" Cloud asked Aeris as she approach him and the others, which make her smile cheerfully (and make Angelina a little annoyed).

"She's fine, Cloud." replied Tifa. "… in many ways." she added under her breath.

"Thank you for helping us just now, Red XIII." said Angelina as she turned to glance at Red XIII, thanking him.

Red XIII nodded to her as he sat back on his haunches. "I have a right to choose, too. I dislike two-legged human things."

"What exactly are you?" Barret asked Red XIII.

"An informed question. But difficult to answer." replied Red XIII as he turned to glance at Barret. "I am what you all see. You all must have many questions, but first, let's all get out of here. I'll lead the way."

All six of them discuss for a while on how to leave the Shinra company and Cloud decided that they should split up into two groups and they agreed to his idea and split up. Cloud told Aeris to go with both Barret, Tifa and Red XIII while he and Angelina leave with Laina (and the man which she had just defeated and healed). Also, he told them that they'll all rendezvous at the 66th floor elevator, which Barret, Tifa, Aeris and Red XIII nodded before they turned and left the 68th floor.

Soon after they left, both Cloud and Angelina turned and went toward Laina (who's still kneeling near Kunsel on the ground, told her that it's time for them to leave and she nodded before she wake Kunsel up gently (which he did reluctantly), helped him up then slung his arm over her shoulder before they both followed both Cloud and Angelina toward the elevator on the far, left side of the 68th floor.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Taken into custody**

Laina, with a weak/tired Kunsel next to her while she holds his arm over her shoulders, is trying to keep up with both Cloud and Angelina before them as they all walked swiftly and quietly away from the 68th floor, down the stairs past the 67th floor (with its several sealed-up offices, a large cylindrical glass container and a dome-like holding cell with Jenova inside) and went down yet another stairs and reached the elevator against the side of the wall on the 66th floor (after they walked past the many small office rooms plus a large conference/meeting room on the 66th floor).

One by one they all stepped into the elevator (after Angelina pressed the "Open" button against the wall at the right side of the elevator then closed it behind them) but before Cloud could pressed the "Down" button in the elevator to take them down, the elevator door behind them opened again and they turned around to see who is it and saw two men standing behind them, one of them is an intimidating, tall bald-headed guy (named Rude) wearing a smart, black-coloured suit with his white shirt tucked in, a pair of dark glasses on his stern/serious-looking face and black shoes on his feets while the other guy is the same long, red-spiky haired guy which both Cloud and Angelina met when they helped Aeris escape from them in the church.

"H, hey!" exclaimed Cloud, surprised. "What is it?"

"Oh…shoot." said Kunsel weakly as he glance up at them. "It's…the…Turks."

"The Turks? Then this is a trap…" cursed Angelina.

"Hello there, Reno, Rude." Laina greeted them both in a mocking tone of voice. "It's been a while."

Both Reno and Rude turned to glance at Laina and Reno widened his eyes in surprise while Rude raised his eyebrows.

"Laina Donovan?" said Reno. "Well, well, so you're alive."

"You know them, Laina?" Angelina asked her.

"Of…course…she…does." replied Kunsel.

"Would you pressed "Up", please?" said Rude formally to Cloud (which make Reno rolled his eyes) as he glance from Laina to him before he and Reno make way for another person to come in. Turns out it's their leader, Tseng, who came walking in (and was surprised to see Laina before he wiped away his surprised look and glance at Cloud).

"It must have been quite a real thrill for you all…" said Tseng in a sinister tone of voice to them. "Did you all enjoy it?"

"Ggh…" said Cloud, narrowing his eyes at the three Turks men.

XXXX

A few minutes after the Turks caught them, took their weapons away and hand-cuffed each of their wrists behind them with a kind of metallic handcuffs (which renders them unable to break free or use their powers/skills), Cloud and his companions/friends is now walking up the stairs in a single file towards the topmost floor/office in Shinra company with Rude and Reno walking in front of them and Tseng walking behind them. Tseng, Reno and Rude led them into the office and had them lined up before the president, who sat on his chair behind his desk, his back to them as he waited for the Turks to bring them in. Cloud (who's standing between Angelina and Laina while she look worriedly at Kunsel standing next to her, who's trying his best to stand instead of passing out), looked around and saw the others (Barret, Tifa and Red XIII) behind him, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel.

"They caught you guys, too?" Angelina asked Barret, Tifa and Red XIII when she look over her shoulder at them too.

"Yeah. Unfortunately." replied Tifa.

"Where is Aeris!?" Cloud demanded angrily at the president as he turned to stared at him when he saw that she's not among them.

"In a safe place." replied the president dismissively before he got off his chair. "She's the last surviving ancient…" the president told them before he began to walk around his desk toward them. "Don't any of you know? They called themselves the "Cetra", and lived thousands of years ago. Now, they're just a forgotten page in history."

"Cetra…" said Red XIII thoughtfully and he turned his head to glance over at the president. "That girl, is she a survivor of the Cetra?"

"Yes, she is, Red XIII." replied Laina as she glared at the president, who stopped in his tracks before her and smirked at her.

"I never thought that I would get to see you again, Laina Donovan." the president said to her. "Fate is quite a bitch, isn't it?"

"Same here, president." said Laina with an annoyed sigh. "I was hoping that I wouldn't get to see you, or any of your evil, cold-hearted employees ever again. But guess it was not to be, huh?"

"Indeed, Miss Donovan." replied the president before he turned, walked away from her and stopped with his back to the desk, in front of the group. "Cetra, or the "Ancients" are destined to show and lead us to the "Promised Land". I'm expecting a lot out of her."

"The "Promised Land"? Isn't that just a legend?" asked Red XIII as he turned to glance at the president again.

"Like hell you will!" Laina snarled angrily at the president. "There's no way that she'll help find it for you, your employees or lead any of you there."

"Tsk, tsk. Mind that volatile attitude of yours, Miss Donovan." said the president dismissively at Laina while shrugging his shoulders. "But even so, it's just too appealing to not to pursue it. It's been said that the "Promised Land" is very fertile… If the land is fertile…"

"Then that…means," said Kunsel. "…there's gotta… be Mako."

"Exactly." replied the president with an approving nod to Kunsel. "That is why our money/electric sucking Mako reactors is necessary. The abundant amount of Mako will just come pouring out on its own." The president explained proudly to them. "And that is where Neo-Midgar will be built. Shinra's new glory…"

" _I see. So that's what all of you bastards are planning while in the conference/meeting room…"_ thought Laina angrily at the president.

" #$*^%!" Barret cursed loudly at the president. "Quit your dreamin'!"

"Oh really, don't you know?" said the president as he turned to glance at Barret's furious face with a pleased look on his face. "These days all it takes for your dreams to come true is by money and power." He then turned, looked away from Barret and walked toward Laina, sighing. "Oh, before I forget, Miss Donovan, Hojo has told me that he wanted you to be his test subject once again."

"In his fucking dreams." cursed Laina as she glared at the president again, which make him smirked again before he turned away from her to looked out the window at the night sky and the city below. "Well, that is all for our meeting. Turks, sent them away."

Soon after he said that, Reno and Rude walked swiftly from the back of the group, went past them and stood firmly between them and the president with stern looks on their faces.

"Come on, you all!" Reno and Rude ordered to them. "Outta his way!"

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa, Kunsel and Red XIII all turned around without a word and began to walked away from the president, followed by Tseng who led them down the stairs and out of the president's large office. Only Barret stood his ground as he continued to glared angrily and defiantly at the president.

"Hold it, you greedy bastard!" yelled Barret out loud at the president. "I got a lot I wanna say to you!"

Barret try to approach the president but got intercepted by both Reno and Rude, who grabbed both of his arms and they began to roughly pushed/pulled him away from the president, down the stairs and out of his office, like the others from before. Once they're all gone, the president flicked a speck of dust off of his red business suit before he glance at the spot where they all stood seconds ago.

"If any of you need anything else… just talk to my secretary." said the president to the now empty room before he turned and walked back toward his desk.

XXXX

After their meeting/talking with the president of Shinra company, Tseng, Reno and Rude bring them down the elevator and back into the Science department on the 67th floor, took them deeper into the back of the department where several prison cell rooms were (for prisoners and other subjects to await their trial or experimentation). Tseng, Reno and Rude then open each of their handcuffs before they split them up and shoved them into the prison cells and closed/locked the door behind them. Cloud and Angelina were in one cell, Barret and Red XIII in another cell on their right, Tifa and Aeris in another cell on their left and Laina and Kunsel in another cell opposite Cloud and Angelina cell room (after the Turks shoved them in, they tell a security guard to stand guard and watch them before they leave).

Right now three of their group (Aeris, Tifa and Kunsel) was lying quietly on the beds or sitting on the floors in the prison cells, one lose in thought about the "Ancients", one looking/feeling worried for her friends and one feeling very fatigue from fighting Laina (and from being a test subject of Hojo) and decided to rest for a bit on the bed nearby Laina who's standing and leaning against the wall with her arms crossed while Cloud, who's standing and leaning against the wall as well with Angelina sitting on the bed nearby him, was thinking deeply on how they're all going to get out of the prison cells which they've been shoved/locked into. But he couldn't think of any idea which might worked for them.

"Cloud, do you think that we'll be able to get out?" whisper Angelina as she glance up at him.

"Don't worry, Angie." replied Cloud. "I'm sure that we'll be able to."

"I hope so, Cloud." said Angelina, lowering her head.

"Cloud, Angelina, are you two there?" said Aeris's voice suddenly past the wall to their left, which surprises them both before Cloud turned around and pressed his head and right ear against it, trying to hear her voice closely/clearly while Angelina just watched him while she sat on the bed.

"Aeris?" exclaimed Cloud. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm all right, Cloud. Tifa's here with me." replied Aeris from inside the cell (while Tifa kept silent) to their left before she turned and swung her legs over the side of the bed onto the floor then looked over her shoulder at the wall behind her. "I knew that either you or Angelina would come to help me."

"Yeah, I guess." replied Cloud as he scratch the back of his head. "After all, you did asked whether either of us can be your bodyguards, isn't it?"

"Yeah, that's right." said Aeris, smiling mischievously now. "Plus an extra deal which is to have one date with you, isn't it?"

That statement abruptly caught both Angelina and Tifa's attentions and Angelina lightly glared at the wall where Aeris's voice came from while Tifa bolted upright from the floor and lightly glared at Aeris.

"What's this about a date I heard, Cloud?" asked Angelina at Cloud in a slightly annoyed tone of voice.

"Are you two really…?" Tifa began saying. "…Oh, I get it now."

"No, Angie, Tifa, it's not like that." Cloud denied quickly. "It's…"

"Well, excuse us!" snapped Tifa indignantly at Cloud, cutting off his words (and make both Cloud and Angelina lapsed into silence). "You know, Aeris. I have a question to ask you."

"What is it, Tifa?" said Aeris nervously.

"Does the "Promised Land" really exist?" Tifa asked her.

"… I don't know, Tifa." admitted Aeris as she lowered her head to stared at the cell ground, thinking deeply for a few seconds then raised her head to looked up at the ceiling. "…All I know is… " _The Cetra were born from the Planet, speak with the Planet and unlock the Planet. And… then… The Cetra will return to the Promised Land. A land that promises supreme happiness and peace."_

"…What does that mean, Aeris?" Angelina asked her as she tilted her head, confused.

"… I don't get it, Aeris." said Tifa, confused as well.

"Beyond words… I don't know." replied Aeris.

"From what I've heard during you guys conversations," said Laina's voice from inside the prison cell room opposite Cloud and Angelina's prison cell room. "It probably means that the Cetra will passed away when their time is up for them and they'll return to the Planet and resided in this "Promised Land"."

"…You might be right, Laina. But still…" said Angelina with a reluctant nod of her head.

"…Speak with the Planet?" Cloud asked questioningly.

"It's one of the skills the Cetra have." replied Aeris.

"Just what does the Planet say to you now?" Tifa asked.

"Not right now, because it's full of noise and people." replied Aeris, shaking her head. "That's why I can't clearly make out what they're saying to me."

"Can you hear it now, Aeris?" Angelina asked her.

"I, I only heard it at the Church in the slums," admitted Aeris as she lowered her head to stared at the cell ground again while thinking about the peaceful church and the small, beautiful white/yellow flower garden which she grow, tended and watered everyday in her mind. "My mother told me that Midgar is no longer safe due to what Shinra company has been doing to the Planet lately. My real mother… that is." Aeris added the last five words swiftly. "She also told me that someday I'll get out of Midgar… Speak with the Planet and find my "Promised Land". I thought that I would stop hearing her voice as I grew older, but…"

Aeris's voice trailed off as she thought about her real mother, Ifalna, and she covered her mouth with her hands before she began to sobbed brokenly. Tifa glance down at Aeris sadly before she sat on the bed next to her and began comforting her. Cloud, Angelina and Laina heard her broken sobs through the prison cell room where she and Tifa were locked in and Cloud stepped away from the left wall, turned and glance at Angelina for a few seconds before he went toward the right wall, turned and leaned his back against it (while he, Angelina and Laina lapsed into silence). Soon after he did, he began to heard Barret's conversation with Red XIII through the right wall.

XXXX

Inside the prison cell room where both Barret and Red XIII were, Barret was sitting on a chair with his arms resting on his knees (after he banged on the locked door several times with his left arm due to his temper tantrum to no avail) while Red XIII was lying quietly on the ground near Barret with a sad/forlorn look in his right eye. They kept silent and listens attentively to the conversations spoke among Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and Aeris about Cetra and the Planet up until Aeris began to cry and the other four lapsed into silence while both Barret and Red XIII had their minds lost deep in thought after hearing their conversations. A few seconds later, Red XIII yawned and was about to close his eyes and fell asleep when Barret began talking to him (both of them unaware that Cloud had began to listen to them both talk now while in the prison cell room next to them).

"Hey!" said Barret to Red XIII, who opened his right eye to glance at him reluctantly. "Aeris is an Ancient and the real name of the Ancients is Cetra. The Ancients know where the "Promised Land" is and the Shinra company is searching for that "Promised Land". I only heard stories 'bout the "Promised Land". I don't know if it really exists. Is that right?"

"Yeah. So far." replied Red XIII with a nod of his head.

Barret glance at Red XIII then looked away and continue talking to him. "The Shinra believed that the "Promised Land" is full of Mako energy. Which means that if the Shinra get there, they'll sucked up all of the Mako energy… and the land'll withered away, causing the Planet to get even weaker."

"And just how are you going to do that?" said Red XIII.

"I can't just leave 'em be!" Barret told him determinedly as he stood up. "I'm recruitin' new members! Me, Tifa, Cloud, Angelina, Laina…and Aeris too. How 'bout you, Red XIII? You want in?" Barret asked him.

"Not on my agenda." replied Red XIII before he stood up, turned around and walked away from Barret to a slightly far corner of the cell room and lay down on the floor, facing away from Barret. Barret sighed before he sat back down on the chair and crossed his arms.

"Gaia, you're so damn boring." grumbled Barret.

Red XIII ignored Barret's grumbling and didn't turned his head to look at him while he swings his tail back and forth behind him.

"…. Grandpa." whisper Red XIII after a few seconds.

Barret heard what Red XIII just whisper despite the distance between them in the cell room, blinked in surprised for a second before he began chuckling. "Grandpa!? Ha…ha…ha…ha. Grandpa, hmmm… ha, ha…ha…ha…"

"What's so funny?" demanded Red XIII as he turned his head to scowled darkly at Barret.

"Nothin'… ha, ha…" said Barret to Red XIII as he tried (and failed miserably to stifled his chuckling) with his hand.

XXXX

Cloud shake his head in dismay when he heard what both Barret and Red XIII talked to each other until they lapsed into silence before he moved away from the right wall and glance at Angelina, who's still sitting on the bed near him and she, in turn, glance up at him.

"Angie, right now there a lot of questions I wanted to asked Laina about. Like her being a test subject of Hojo, her friend, Kunsel and…" Cloud began saying to Angelina.

"Maybe next time we'll asked her, Cloud." said Angelina, cutting off his words. "Right now, we should get some sleep."

"… Alright, then." replied Cloud with a nod of his head to Angelina before he went toward the left wall, sat down and leaned his back against it while Angelina lie back down onto the bed, turned her back on him to faced the right wall and they both (and the others in the other cell rooms near them) began to drifted off to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: The escape of Jenova and meeting Rufus Shinra**

Cloud woke up with a strange, eerie feeling suddenly in his mind and body before he slowly stood up from the cell floor to shake his head and rubbed his sleepy eyes, bringing himself into sharp focus. He looked around the cell room and saw that Angelina was still sleeping peacefully on the bed in front of him before he turned his head to look at the doorway and felt his jaw drop abruptly. The doorway which had securely locked them in hours ago is now wide open.

"The door's open…" Cloud mumbled to himself as he stared at the now opened doorway. "When did it open?"

Cloud then stepped through the opened doorway into the corridor, fully alert and ready for any attack from Shinra securities but was surprised to see that the corridor outside is empty and quiet. Only his and Angelina cell room door was unlocked and opened while the others remained sealed up. Cloud turned to his left to looked down the corridor and was shocked to see the Shinra security which had been ordered to watched them was lying dead on the ground at one corner of the corridor with multiple slash wounds on his body, a thick smear of blood pooling out from his slash wounds and under the Shinra security body onto the ground and a look of pure terror/fear in his eyes and face. Not only that, all of their weapons and materia were lying in a heap near the Shinra security body, as though the person who killed the security guard had purposely left them there for Cloud and the others to take back.

"What the hell happened here?" Cloud pondered aloud to himself as he grabbed/lifted his Buster sword and put it behind him before he turned and ran back into the opened cell room toward Angelina and began to shake her shoulder to wake her up. "Angie… wake up!"

"What's wrong, Cloud?" asked Angelina groggily at him as she opened and rubbed her sleepy violet-coloured eyes before she sat up, got off the bed and looked at Cloud's face, which had turned slightly pale.

"Something's wrong, Angie. Go look outside." Cloud told her while nodding his head at the opened doorway.

Angelina turned to looked at the doorway and was surprised to see that the doorway was unlocked before she heeded Cloud's words, ran through the doorway, turned left to run down the corridor with Cloud following behind her and gasped loudly in alarm when she saw the body of the now dead Shinra security lying on the ground.

"Dear Gaia!" said Angelina as she stared down at the Shinra security body with pity and fear on her face. "What could have done this to him?"

"I don't know, Angie." replied Cloud before he kneel down near the Shinra security body. "But he should have the keys to these cell rooms on him…" Cloud told her and Angelina watched as he rummaged around in the dead security's pockets for the keys (while she grabbed/lifted her naginata and put it behind her), found them and pulled them out of the dead security's pockets, stood up, turned and gave one of the keys to Angelina. "Here, Angie. Go get Aeris and Tifa while I go helped Laina, Barret and the others."

Angelina glance away from the Shinra security body to looked at Cloud and nodded before she took the key from him, run toward Aeris and Tifa cell room, unlocked the door with it before she open it and went inside to wake them both up. Meanwhile, Cloud ran toward the cell room opposite his and Angelina's cell room where Laina and Kunsel were, unlocking it, opened and went in and saw Laina sitting/sleeping on the floor with her legs near her chest, her arms and head lying on her knees while Kunsel lie resting/sleeping on the bed in front of her. Cloud then kneel down near Laina and shake her shoulder to wake her up.

"Uh, Cloud?" said Laina as she opened her mako eyes sleepily to glance at Cloud before she rubbed them with her left hand. "How did you get in here?"

"No time for that, Laina." Cloud told her urgently. "Come on, wake your friend up. Something's wrong."

Without hesitating, Cloud quickly turned around, left Laina and Kunsel's cell room (while Laina stood up and went toward Kunsel to wake him up) and went toward Barret and Red XIII cell room, unlocked the door and ran in to wake them both up.

"Barret, Red XIII… come with me." said Cloud urgently to them both and they both stirred for a few seconds before opening their eyes to looked at him. "Something's wrong." Cloud told them both, repeating his previous words.

"What the? How'd you get in, spiky?" said Barret out loud to Cloud before he glared at him then turned his head to glance at the now opened doorway. "Why's the door open!?"

Without waiting for Cloud's reply, Barret immediately stood up from the ground, turned and run out of the opened doorway (with both Cloud and Red XIII following behind him) and halted in his tracks when he saw the dead Shinra security guard lying on the ground, with Laina, Kunsel, Tifa, Aeris and Red XIII (who stopped behind Barret) staring down at his slashed body with shocked/horrified looks on their faces (each of them now had retrieve their own weapons and put their weapons behind their backs or on their hands, like Tifa).

"The hell's going on here!?" demanded Barret out loud in a furious tone of voice as he stared down at the Shinra security body.

"No normal human could've done this." Red XIII commented with a shake of his head before he walked swiftly past Barret, Cloud, Laina, Kunsel, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris toward the corridor which will lead them back into the main part of the 67th floor. "I'll go on ahead first, everyone." said Red XIII to the others as he turned around to look at them before turning again and ran down the corridor, away from them.

"I'll clean up back here, so you guys go on ahead first." Barret told Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel, Tifa and Aeris and they all nodded to him. "And don't any of you get yourselves caught by any Shinra securities or Turks!" added Barret to them.

They all nodded again before they left Barret behind with the dead Shinra security as they ran down the corridor after Red XIII, deeper into the 67th level. As they walked swiftly deeper into the 67th level, they realised that the 67th level was quiet. Too deadly quiet, in fact. As they all stepped out of the corridor, turned right and walked into the main part of the level, they soon find out the reason why the 67th level is utterly quiet. The grisly scene before their eyes was worse than any of them could have anticipated/foresee (especially Tifa and Aeris both). Many slained/mutilated/slashed bodies of Shinra's scientists, secretaries and employees lay haphazardly on the ground in various corners of the 67th level, their bodies/clothes coated heavily with their blood (with some of their blood splattered on the wall, wooden crates and other science equipments), each of their faces a mask of utter fear/terror, just like the Shinra security who died near their prison cell rooms.

"What could have killed them while we were sleeping/resting in the cell rooms?" whisper Aeris in a fearful tone of voice as she gazed around at the bodies.

"We don't know, Aeris." replied Tifa grimly. "But I'm sure that we'll find out, soon."

Eventually they all caught up with Red XIII, who was standing a few feet ahead of them near the cylindrical glass container which sealed him hours ago and the dome-like holding cell which sealed Jenova within (along with another dead body of a Shinra secretary) and when they all looked at the dome-like holding cell, they felt a deep chill running down their backs. The thick, metallic doorway of the dome-like, holding cell had been ripped apart completely from the inside out, leaving a large, gaping hole on it while the creature woman named Jenova which was sealed inside is gone. They also noticed that there was a large amount of dark, red blood around the ripped apart doorway and on the floor and it looks like it was moving away from the dome-like, holding cell and toward the elevator against the wall in the far corner of the room.

"…Did it get away?" asked Cloud as he and the others stared into the gaping hole of the empty and bloody dome-like holding cell. "Jenova…?"

"Either it did… or someone else came and take it away." said Angelina.

"Jenova Specimen…" growled Red XIII. "Looks like it went to the upper levels using that elevator over there for the specimens." Red XIII then turned to his left and ran toward the elevator, with the others following swiftly behind him as they followed the trail of blood. They went into the elevator (while trying to ignored the huge puddle of blood which they stepped on in the elevator) and Cloud pressed the "Up" button for them to go up. As they arrived onto the next floor and stepped out of the elevator, Red XIII immediately ran forward away from the others and stopped beside another dead scientist body which was lying face-down in the middle of room 68th and next to the trail of blood which continued to moved away toward a door at the far, right side of the room.

"It looks like it leads up…" Red XIII told them in a foreboding tone of voice.

"I've a really bad feeling about this, everyone." said Aeris.

"I know you're afraid, Aeris. But we have to keep following the trail of blood." Cloud told her as he glance over his shoulder at her worry-looking face (same goes for the others, except for Laina and Kunsel). "We have to know."

All eight of them continued to followed the trail of blood (and they saw some long slashes on some of the walls along the way) as it went down a corridor, up the stairs to the next level (level 69th) which turns out to be the main floor for higher-class Shinra employees/secretaries. Here they saw even more dead bodies of Shinra employees/secretaries with their blood splattered everywhere on the wall and ground and they decided to ignored it (or closed their eyes to avoid looking at them) as they kept on following the trail of blood, which led up to one of the twin staircases with long, purple carpets on them that curled around and headed up to the highest and final floor in Shinra company, the president's office. Cloud turned around to look at all of his friends, all of them with their weapons (and fangs/claws, in Red XIII case) ready in their hands. All of them nodded to each other before they ran up the stairs to their left, burst into the president's office and they skidded to a sudden halt, unable to believe the scene they now saw before them.

The president of Shinra company was lying face-down on his large desk in front of them, with his arms sprawled out on either side of his head and a 7th foot long Masamune sword (which impaled him from the back and directly into his heart) sticking up from his back and covered in his own blood which came bleeding out from the sword wound on his back. Tifa, Aeris and Angelina gasped lightly when they saw the Masamune sword and that the president's dead while Cloud, Laina, Kunsel, Barret and Red XIII could only stared at the president's body in surprised/shocked.

"He's dead…" exclaimed Barret, in awed at the grisly scene before him. "The president of Shinra, Inc. is truly dead…"

Suddenly Tifa ran away from the group, went around the now dead president's large desk, toward his body and stared in fear/dread at the Masamune sword on his back while her shaking left hand raised and clutched her white tank top tightly, directly at the place where the Masamune sword had slash her chest 6 years ago.

"I-I recognized this sword, Cloud, Angie…" gasped Tifa. "It's his sword."

"Sephiroth's!" snarled Cloud angrily as he glared at the sword.

"…Sephiroth is alive?" said Angelina as she stared at the sword in disbelief then anger.

"Looks like it, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa." said Laina grimly. "He's the only one that can use that sword."

"Who the hell is Sephiroth?" demanded Barret as he glance over at the others.

"He's a ruthless/heartless SOLDIER monster who killed my father, my friends and neighbours and even destroyed Nibelheim! Mine, Cloud and Angie's hometown 6 years ago!" said Tifa out loud angrily in the president's office which make Barret and Red XIII winced a little, make both Cloud and Angelina to remember that tragic day 6 years ago, make Aeris giving Cloud, Angelina and Tifa look of pity and make both Kunsel and Laina to lowered their heads in shame, sadness and a little guilt.

"Who cares whether this Sephiroth or another person did it!?" said Barret out loud triumphantly. "This is the end of Shinra company now!"

"No, it's not." said Laina as she turned to faced Barret. "Have you forgotten about the president's son or the other 4 directors who worked for him?"

"But they're different, woman!" retorted Barret, glaring at Laina. "They're not the president himself!"

"They may not be the president himself but that doesn't mean that Shinra company is finished!" Laina snarled at him, feeling very annoyed/mad at Barret. "Far from it, actually! You moronic imbecile!"

"Hey, Laina! Calm down!" said Kunsel as he approach her and placed his left hand on her shoulder. She turned to glared at him for a few seconds then her glare slowly faded and she turned away from both of them.

While Barret and Laina were having a short argument (until Kunsel break them up before it get worse), both Cloud and Angelina was thinking deeply about Sephiroth, the owner of the Masamune sword who killed the president of Shinra company in cold blood and also the person whom they both used to admired/ looked up to until he nearly killed them, destroyed their hometown and their family/friends.

Their deep thinking was abruptly interrupted by the sound of someone squeaking in fear nearby and all 8 of them tensed and reach for their weapons, preparing themselves while turning their heads to glance at the huge marble pillar next to the president's large desk to the right where the fearful, squeaking sound came from. A few seconds later, someone looked out from the back of the marble pillar at them and they saw that it's Director Palmer, Head of the Space Exploration Program. Palmer cried out in fear and panic when he saw them all looking at him and he run forward away from his hiding place in an attempt to escape from them. But as he ran past Laina, he suddenly fell backward on his back and got dragged back on his back toward them by some invisible force (while he struggled to pried himself free from the invisible force which dragged him). Once he's among them, both Cloud and Barret swiftly grabbed each of Palmer's arms (to hold him still as he kept on struggling to get away) and hauled him to his feet (after Laina's power let him go).

"P, p, p, please, don't kill me!" cried Palmer out loud as he stared at Cloud, Barret and the others with fear/panic in his eyes.

"We won't kill you if you tell us what happened here." Laina told the terrified man in a "brook-no-argument" tone of voice.

"So what happened here?" Cloud asked him.

"It… it was Se… Sephiroth." replied Palmer nervously as he turned his head to glance at Cloud and ceased his struggling. "Sephiroth came."

"Did you see him?" said Cloud furiously as he glared at Palmer's terrified face. "Did you really see Sephiroth?"

"Yeah, I saw him!" exclaimed Palmer nervously while nodding his head furiously. "I saw him with my own eyes!"

"You really saw him?" said Angelina, wanted to be sure whether he's telling the truth or not.

"Uh! Would I lie to any of you at a time like this!? And I heard his voice too!" said Palmer as he stared at Angelina in disbelief then lightly glared at the others. "Um, he was saying something about not letting us have the "Promised Land"."

"Then what?" said Tifa, not believing Palmer's words. "Does that mean that the "Promised Land" really exists and that Sephiroth's here to save it from Shinra?"

"So he's a good guy then?" asked Barret.

"Save the "Promised Land"? A good guy? No way in hell!" said Cloud as he narrowed his eyes at Palmer and shook his head fiercely. "It's not that simple! I know him! His mission is different!"

While they were busy talking, Palmer took advantage of it and pried himself free from Cloud and Barret's tight grip on him before he ran away from them toward a door against the wall on the left side of the president's office which led out onto a large balcony/helipad outside the Shinra company while at the same time, they all heard the sound of whirring motor blades coming from outside and they all turned to looked outside the large windows and saw a Shinra helicopter (after Palmer waved his arms frantically toward the helicopter) as it approach and landed on the balcony/helipad. After the helicopter landed on the balcony/helipad, a young, pale blonde-haired man wearing a long, white trench-coat which reach down to his knees with matching white pants, two black shotguns tucked inside two holsters (inside his white trench-coat) on his belt strapped around his pants and cold, pale blue eyes on his fair face stepped off from the helicopter and turned to look at Palmer, who quickly run toward him.

"Rufus!" cursed Barret out loud as he glance outside the large window at the young man who stepped off the helicopter. "&*%$! I forgot about him!"

"Who's that?" asked both Tifa and Aeris as they stared out the window at the young man as well.

"That's the Vice President of Shinra company, Rufus Shinra." explained Laina to both Tifa and Aeris. "The son of the now deceased president."

"He's the president son!?" said Tifa, gasping in disbelief. "I never knew that the president of Shinra company had a son!"

"That's because the Shinra news rarely talks about him." explained Kunsel to both Tifa and Aeris this time. "And he rarely shows himself to the public so it's no surprise that some of you never knew about him."

While both Laina and Kunsel were explaining to both Tifa and Aeris about Rufus Shinra, Cloud, Angelina and the others stared outside the window at the Vice President as he listens uninterested at Palmer's frenzy ranting about what just happened. Cloud then turned and headed out through the door which Palmer just run out of with Angelina and the others following closely behind him. They all run out of the president's office in a single file toward the balcony/helipad where Palmer and Rufus were, right after Palmer finished telling Rufus about what happened and Rufus folded his arms in deep thinking.

"So…" said Rufus. "So Sephiroth was actually here… By the way, Palmer…"

He ceased talking the moment he looked up and saw Cloud and the others as they came running toward him and Palmer and stopped before the both of them, their weapons ready in their hands. Palmer saw Rufus looking at something behind him, turned around, saw Cloud and the others and jumped in the air in fright before he run past Rufus and climbed into the helicopter behind Rufus.

"And who are you people?" asked Rufus blankly as he stared at each of them.

"I'm Cloud Strife, former SOLDIER 1st class!" said Cloud as he took a step forward.

"Angelina Pierce, former SOLDIER 1st class, same as Cloud!" said Angelina, standing on Cloud's right.

"Laina Donovan, former SOLDIER 1st class as well." said Laina before she turned her head and give both Tifa and Kunsel a stern look when she saw out of the corner of her eyes that they're about to protest something to her.

"Kunsel Ashbourne, former SOLDIER 2nd class." said Kunsel.

"I'm from AVALANCHE!" said Barret fiercely at Rufus.

"Same here!" said Tifa.

"A flower girl from the slums." said Aeris.

"A research specimen." said Red XIII as he flexed his claws.

"What a misfit crew you all are." said Rufus to them as he shrugged his shoulders before he flicked a lock of his blonde hair behind his ear smugly and turned to his left, looking away from them. "Well, I'm Rufus. The President of Shinra, Inc."

"You only president, 'cause yer old man just died!" retorted Barret angrily at Rufus.

"Yes, that's true." said Rufus without remorse as he turned his back on them, completely unfazed by the fact that his father died by Sephiroth's hands.

"Don't you even care at all that your father just got killed by Sephiroth?" said Angelina as she glared at Rufus.

"None at all, miss." replied Rufus smugly before he turned around to face them. "Right now, I guess I'll let you all hear my new appointment speech." Rufus began to walked toward Tifa and Kunsel while Laina closed her eyes and sighed exasperatedly. "… My old man tried to control the world, the planet with money which seems to be working well for him." Tifa turned her head away, refused to look at him while Kunsel scowled darkly at Rufus which make him smirked before he walked away from them toward both Aeris and Angelina, who looked at him with unease/scowl looks on their faces. "The entire population naively thought that Shinra would protect them." He walked away from both Aeris and Angelina toward Barret, who turned his head to glared furiously at him. "Work at Shinra company, get your pay. And if any terrorists attacks, the Shinra army will protect you. It looks perfect on the outside." He turned to looked away from Barret and walked toward both Cloud (who glared at him) and Laina (who opened her eyes to glance at him). "But not for me. Now that the old man is dead, I planned to do things differently now. I'll control the world with fear. Though it may take too much to do it like my old man but I'll do it." He turned and walked away from them toward the edge of the balcony/helipad and looked down at the city below. "A little fear will control/manipulate the minds of the common people. There's no need for us to waste gil on them."

"Seems that he likes to make speeches, just like his father." said Tifa with a heavy sigh.

"You can say that again." said Kunsel, crossing his arms.

Rufus heard what they say and turned to glance at them, raising his eyebrow. At the same time, Cloud suddenly turned around to glance at the others with a serious look on his face.

"All of you, take Aeris and get outta this building now!" Cloud told them suddenly and they all looked at him with surprised looks on their faces.

"What?" said Barret.

"But why?" said Tifa.

"I'll explain to you all later!" Cloud told them while shaking his head before he looked fiercely at Barret. "Barret! This is the real crisis for the Planet!"

"The hell's that supposed to mean, spiky?" Barret demanded, annoyed.

"like I just said, I'll tell you all later!" insisted Cloud. "Just take my word for it for now! I'll catch up to you guys after I take care of him!"

"In that case…" said Angelina as she glance at Cloud. "I'm staying here with you too, Cloud."

"What? Of course you're not staying here, Angie!" denied Cloud as he glance at her. "Go with the others and…"

"I'm not letting you taking care of this guy alone, Cloud!" Angelina cut his words off mid-sentence while she glance over at Rufus, who's staring at them both with a slightly amused look on his face. "And that's that!"

Cloud look at the stubborn/determined look on her face and sighed mentally, knowing that she won't give way no matter what. "Alright, fine, Angie. And the rest of you, take Aeris and hurry up and leave!"

"But, Cloud, Angie…" said Tifa, worried for them.

"Come on, everyone." said Laina as she glance at each of them. "We best do what Cloud says and leave. If not, we'll be captured once again by the other Shinra securities somewhere in the building."

Barret heard what Laina said, gritted his teeth in frustration then glance at both Cloud and Angelina for a few seconds before he reluctantly nodded to them. "Awright, Cloud, Angelina! We'll see you guys later!" Barret told them before he turned and ran back toward the door which led back into the president's office, with Laina, Kunsel, Tifa, Aeris and Red XIII following closely behind him. Both Cloud and Angelina nodded to them before they both turned around to faced Rufus.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Battle against Rufus, reunion with Phemie and escaping from Shinra company**

Barret, Laina, Kunsel, Tifa, Aeris and Red XIII run through the door back into the president's office and some of them (Barret, Tifa and Aeris) try to avoid looking at the dead president's body lying on the large desk, except for Laina. She briefly glance over at the president's body on the desk and was surprised to see that Sephiroth's sword, Masamune was no longer on the back of the president's body.

" _Did Sephiroth came back to retrieve it while we were talking with Rufus Shinra outside on the balcony/helipad?"_ thought Laina to herself as she glance away from the president's body and followed the others down the right staircase back onto the 69th floor of the main floor for higher class of Shinra secretaries/employees (while ignoring the dead bodies of the secretaries/employees lying everywhere on the ground). As they began approaching an opened door, Aeris suddenly halted in her tracks in the middle of the 69th floor and the others stopped running and turned around to glance at her.

"Cloud… Angelina…" said Aeris softly, looking and sounding quite concerned. "I just thought of something."

"… I'll stay here and wait for them!" said Tifa suddenly as she approach Aeris and placed her gloved left hand on Aeris shoulder to reassured her (which make Aeris smiled gratefully at her) before she turned around to glance at the others. "Everyone, take Aeris and get to the elevator now!"

"I'll stay here with you and wait for them both too, Tifa." said Laina and she turned to looked at the others before Tifa could argued with her. "Now hurry up and go, you guys!"

Barret, Kunsel, Red XIII and Aeris looked at them both for a few seconds before they all nodded, turned and run through the opened doorway, turned left down a narrow corridor toward the two elevators, leaving both Tifa and Laina behind to guard the opened doorway while they waited for both Cloud and Angelina.

XXXX

"Everyone, it's going to get pretty ugly from here on."Aeris said to Barret, Red XIII and Kunsel as they stood before one of the two elevators. "We should check on our equipment and materia, just in case."

After she told them, Barret, Red XIII and Kunsel check their equipments/materia and once they're sure of their equipment/materia after checking, the four of them quickly stepped into the elevator and Aeris pressed the "Down" button. As much as they (Barret and Kunsel) hate leaving four of their companions/friends behind, they knew that they had no choice. They had to get Aeris away from Shinra company ASAP.

As the elevator began to descend, Barret, Aeris and Red XIII began to sit down and relax a little, all three of them thinking that they got lucky and may just escape unscathed. Except for Kunsel, who's standing silently with his back against the elevator glass wall, tensed and alert for any incoming enemies.

His hunch was correct. For they soon heard the sound of a loud booming coming from above them and Barret, Aeris and Red XIII swiftly stood up, looked up and was shocked to see the elevator next to the one which they're now on, is coming down toward them rapidly. It slowed down when it's right next to them and Barret, Aeris, Red XIII and Kunsel soon saw the huge, menacing-looking robot (with many powerful firearms on it like gattling guns, cannons and others) inside the second elevator, facing them.

"Goddammit!" cursed Barret as he stared at the huge robot in anger. "They sent out another robot at us!"

"Get ready, everyone!" said Kunsel out loud to the others in a warning tone of voice. "It's about to attack!"

The huge robot in the second elevator opposite them raised its two huge sub-machine gun-arms, aimed them at the elevator glass which is the only thing which separates itself and Barret and the others and it opened fire at the glass, causing the glass to shattered instantly to pieces. Barret, Aeris, Red XIII and Kunsel shielded themselves from the shattering glass and the bullets shot by the huge robot before they raised their weapons and prepared their materia for battle.

XXXX

Rufus glance at both Cloud and Angelina with a stern and cold look on his face then shrugged his shoulders. "Why do you two want to fight me?" Rufus asked them both.

"You seeked the "Promised Land" and Sephiroth himself." replied Cloud as he raised his hand and pointed it at Rufus with a stern/angry look on his face.

"And we can't let either you or Sephiroth have it. Whether it does exist or not." said Angelina.

"And why not, Miss Pierce?" Rufus asked Angelina.

"We have our reasons." replied Angelina firmly.

Rufus smirked at them before he turned and walked slowly away from the edge of the balcony/helipad toward Cloud and Angelina and stopped in his tracks before them. "Did you two know that Sephiroth is an Ancient? Just like that Gainsborough woman which you two told your friends to take away to safety." Rufus told them both and Angelina widened her eyes in surprise while Cloud narrowed his eyes at Rufus and lapsed into silence.

"… A lot has happened." said Cloud after a moment of silence. "Anyway, like what Angelina just says, we can't let either you or Sephiroth have the "Promised Land"!"

"I see." said Rufus as he sighed and shake his head in dismay/regret. "I guess this means that we won't become friends."

"We were never friends to begin with." said Angelina sarcastically at Rufus as she and Cloud pull their weapons out from their backs, prepared to fight him.

"You're correct, Miss Pierce." replied Rufus before both of his hands suddenly reached down for his two black-coloured shotguns tucked inside his white trench coat, pulled them out, aimed them straight at both Cloud and Angelina's face and opened fire. Cloud and Angelina quickly swung their sword and naginata to deflected the bullets away from them before they charge toward Rufus, raised and swung their sword and naginata down on him. He dodged both of their strikes before he raised and placed his fingers to his mouth and began whistling for something, immediately a dark blue robot build in the shape of a Belzecue monster came charging out of the helicopter and pounced on Angelina (who happened to be the nearest), sending her falling to the ground while it clawed her body and snapped its jaws on her face (which she prevent by letting go of her naginata and putting her hands under its snapping jaws to pull it away from her face). Cloud saw the Belzecue robot pounced on Angelina and began attacking her and just as he's about to get it off of her, Rufus fired two more bullets from his shotguns at Cloud and he dodged it. Angelina gritted her teeth at the Belzecue robot and swiftly kicked then shove it away from her (then casted Cure on herself) and it run to stand beside Rufus, its master. The Belzecue robot then casted "Barrier" on Rufus before it turned its gaze back on Angelina, who stood up.

"Angie, are you alright?" Cloud asked her in a worry tone of voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Cloud." replied Angelina as she glared at the Belzecue robot.

Rufus fired his shotguns again at Cloud and Cloud deflected them with his sword again before he charge toward Rufus with his sword raised above him and swung it down on Rufus. Rufus knew that he can't dodged Cloud's sword strike this time so he raised his two shotguns above him and used them to blocked Cloud's huge sword from striking him down while the Belzecue robot sprint toward Angelina, jumped up and ready to pounced and snap its jaws on her again. But she won't let herself be pounced on by the Belzecue robot this time so she dodged to the side of it and when it landed on the spot where she previously stood, she immediately casted Thunder on it several times until the Belzecue robot is half-dead from the magic she casted then she charge toward it with her naginata raised above her and swung it down hard on it, cutting the Belzecue robot body in half then jumped clear of it when it began to sizzle with electricity and exploded to pieces.

XXXX

After Barret and the others are out of their sights, both Tifa and Laina began to heard the sounds of footsteps heading their way from the same opened doorway which they're now guarding/watching and Laina swiftly pulled Geneva saber out from her back and raised it in her hands before her while Tifa clench (then raised) both of her gloved hands into fists, ready for whoever's coming. Soon two Turks people (a short, spiky, red-haired man and a short, chestnut-haired woman in black business suits) walked through the opened doorway, looked and saw both Tifa and Laina. Laina and the two Turks froze in shocked (especially the Turks woman) when they looked at each other.

"Phemie?" said Laina as she stared at her younger sister which she haven't seen for the past 6 years and who looked a little older now.

"What?" said Tifa as she stared back and forth at Laina and Phemie, confused.

"Sister?" said Phemie as she stared at Laina with a shocked (then very relieved) look on her face, unable to believe that her beloved older sister is actually here, standing right in front of her. Fearing that it's a dream where she might woke up soon, Phemie slowly approach Laina, raised her left hand (which shook a little) toward Laina's face (while Tifa and Crisis stared at them both, the former in more confusion, the latter with bated breath) and touched… solid flesh. After Phemie confirmed that it's not a dream, tears of joy came pouring out of her eyes and she swiftly enveloped Laina in a tight grip kind of hug (while Laina hugged her back as well, albeit gently).

"I've missed you very much, sister!" cried Phemie, happy/glad to finally get to see Laina. "When Crisis told me that you "died" during your mission in Nibelheim (Tifa flinched a little), I was very devastated over it and I mourned/cried for you for days! Until Crisis managed to get me up on my feet, stayed by my side to comfort me and later on told me that you told him to wait for you to come get me when he got sent to Nibelheim and saw you, Zack and two others alive!" Phemie ceased her crying/talking for a few seconds and they both pulled back a bit to glance at each other. "So why didn't you, sister?"

" _I've missed you very much as well, Phemie. And I'm really sorry that I didn't come for you immediately after Zack and I, and both Cloud and Angelina escaped from Nibelheim."_ thought Laina as she stared at Phemie, who's patiently waiting for her answer. _"But right now I can't tell you why, Phemie. I'm really sorry."_

"What are you doing here with her, Laina?" said Crisis suddenly as he glance at Tifa then at Laina with narrowed eyes. "And what the hell happened to all these Shinra employees here? Did either of you killed these Shinra employees?"

"Say what? Of course we didn't killed them!" Laina snarled as she glared at Crisis. "They were killed by Sephiroth!"

"What!?" said both Crisis and Phemie in surprised.

"And not just these people, he also killed the President in cold blood in his own office above us." Laina added in a dark tone to them.

"The president is dead!?" said Crisis in a shocked tone of voice and as he turned and about to walked past both Laina and Tifa toward the right staircase, Laina's hand came out and she grabbed hold of Crisis's left arm firmly, not letting him going up.

"Let go of my arm, Laina." said Crisis.

"I refused, Crisis." replied Laina. "I'm not letting you go up there."

"And why not, sister?" said Phemie with a confused look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Phemie. But I just can't let him go up there." said Laina without looking at Phemie.

"If that's how it is…" said Crisis before he yanked his arm out of Laina's grip and he pulled out his handgun and electric rod from within his black suit and pointed his electric rod at Tifa while pointing his handgun at Laina.

"Crisis, what are you doing?" said Phemie as she glance at Crisis in shocked.

"I'm doing what Turks should do." replied Crisis.

"But she's my sister!" protested Phemie.

"Yeah, she is." said Crisis as he glance at Phemie. "But now she's an enemy of Shinra company."

Before Phemie could say another word, Crisis immediately shot a single electricity from his electric rod and fired some bullets from his handgun at both Tifa and Laina at the same time and Tifa dodged to the side from the electricity while the bullets stopped in mid-air in front of Laina and then fell to the floor. Tifa then charge toward Crisis and lowered her clench fist to swung it up, ready to punch him under his chin but he dodged away from her uppercut punch right into Laina's path, who already raised her Geneva saber and swung it down on him. He dodged away from Laina's sword strike on him but her sword strike managed to graze his left leg and leaving a long slash on it, making him winced in pain a little.

Tifa charge toward him again, intending to punch him but he saw her coming out of the corner of his eyes and he dodged her second punch before he jabbed his electric rod on her waist and sent waves of electricity into her body. Tifa cried out in pain from his electric rod attack on her and he pull his electric rod away from her before he raised his left leg and kicked Tifa hard on her stomach, making her cried out again in pain before she fell back onto the floor, clutching her now bruised stomach with her hands while her body slightly convulsed due to the electricity.

"Tifa!" yelled Laina as she saw Tifa fall to the floor before she glared at Crisis. "You'll pay for that, Crisis!" said Laina angrily at Crisis as she raised her Geneva saber again and charge toward Crisis.

Phemie, who's been standing at the side, was staring in fear and sadness at both her older sister and her boyfriend as they fight fiercely against each other. " _Why does it have to become like this? Sister…Crisis…"_ thought Phemie sadly to herself. She watch as they both fought for a while until Laina swung her saber at Crisis and knocked both of his electric rod and handgun out of his hands, followed by a hard punch and a kick from her which send him falling to the ground and he grimaced in pain from her punch and kick.

The electric rod landed near Phemie's feet and she stared down at it before she glance up and saw Laina slowly approach Crisis with an extremely cold look on her face. Both Laina and Crisis glance at each other for a few seconds before Laina raised her saber above her again, ready to strike it down on Crisis. The moment when Phemie saw her do that, she swiftly kneel down to picked up Crisis electric rod, stand up and charge toward Laina and jabbed the electric rod on the right side of Laina's body, sending waves of electricity coursing through her body like what Crisis did to Tifa minutes ago.

Laina hissed in pain when she felt the electricity coursing through her body and she turned her head to see who is it who attacked her and was shocked to see that it's Phemie who did it. "How could you, Phemie?" said Laina in a hurt/disappointed tone of voice at Phemie.

"I… I can't let you either hurt or possibly kill Crisis, sister." said Phemie sadly, unable to bring herself to looked at Laina.

Crisis then stood up from the ground, charge toward Laina who's now distracted by what Phemie did to her and shoved her away from Phemie before he grabbed hold of Phemie's right arm and dragged her with him (while taking the electric rod away from her) toward the stairs and they both went up to the president office.

"Goddammit!" Laina cursed out (while angrily clenching her hand into a fist) when she saw them both went up the stairs to the president office before she glance over at Tifa, stood up and went over to helped her up (and use Cure on her) and they both turned and swiftly went up the stairs after Crisis and Phemie as well.

XXXX

Rufus saw Angelina defeated his Belzecue robot out of the corner of his eyes while he and Cloud were caught in a stalemate of pushing back and forth with their sword and shotguns (which neither one of them giving in) and he gritted his teeth in slight annoyed/frustration at her before his left leg shot out, went behind Cloud's legs, swiped them and causing Cloud to loosen his hold on his sword and lose his balance before he fell backward onto the ground, his sword falling beside him.

Angelina turned her head and saw Cloud fall backward onto the ground by Rufus and before she could turned to helped him, Rufus aimed his two shotguns at her and opened fire on her, his bullets struck her left shoulder and right thigh and she gasped loudly in pain before falling on one knee to the ground.

"Angie!" said Cloud out loud worriedly when he saw Rufus shoot her on her shoulder and thigh then he glared darkly at Rufus (who smirked at him) before his hand grasped the handle of the Buster sword lying next to him and just as he get up, Cloud heard two sets of footsteps coming swiftly from behind him and before he could turned his head to see who is it, someone strike him hard on his back, causing him to grunted in pain and he fell on one knee to the ground, like Angelina.

"Cloud!" said Angelina worriedly (while ignoring the pain on her shoulder and thigh) when she saw Crisis struck Cloud's back hard with his electric rod with Phemie close behind him (who had a sad/regret look on her face) before the two Turks saw Rufus and they immediately went toward him and stood on his left and right, protecting him from them both.

"Nicely done, Crisis." said Rufus in an approving tone of voice to Crisis, who nodded without looking at him. Rufus then stood up, put his two shotguns back into the holsters inside his white trench coat, looked at both Cloud and Angelina (who glared at them) and smirked at them again. "Heh… that's all for today…" Rufus told them both before he turned around, walked swiftly toward the helicopter and went into it, with both Crisis and Phemie following behind him while protecting him before they too went in the helicopter after him and the helicopter began to flew upward. Cloud and Angelina then raised their arms to shield their faces from the wind blowing their way due to the moving motor blades on the helicopter. They then heard yet another two sets of footsteps coming toward them, looked behind and saw that it's Tifa and Laina.

XXXX

Phemie watched as her older sister came to the balcony/helipad with the long, black-haired woman following behind her (while the spiky, blonde-haired guy and the long, brown-haired girl watched them both with confused/surprised looks on their faces), stopped and stared up at both her and Crisis in the helicopter (with the new president and Director Palmer sitting opposite them both) with a look of hurt/betrayal on her face and eyes. Soon the helicopter flew far into the night sky away from Shinra company and Midgar and Phemie leaned her head down onto Crisis shoulder sadly and he raised his hand to patted the side of her head to comfort her, both of them not saying anything.

XXXX

Laina watched as the helicopter flew farther away into the night until she can't see it anymore then she and Tifa turned around and both of them helped both Cloud and Angelina up while casting Cure on them before the four of them turned and run back into the president's office, run down the right staircase to floor 69.

"So, did you two finish Rufus off?" Tifa asked both Cloud and Angelina as she glance at them.

"No, unfortunately." replied Angelina with an exasperated sigh.

"Those two Turks helped him get away before we could do so." replied Cloud with a shake of his head. "Looks like this's gonna get more complicated, Angie, Tifa, Laina."

"We'll worry about that when it comes, Cloud." said Laina. "Right now, let's regroup with the others and get out of here."

Cloud, Angelina and Tifa nodded at what she said as they ran through the opened doorway on floor 69, went down the right corridor, turned left and went down another set of stairs.

XXXX

The two elevators finally reached the ground floor of Shinra company and the left elevator soon opened its door to reveal one huge pile of destroyed/sizzled/charred robot plus a smaller robot (flying machine) near it inside the elevator, both of them being destroyed/defeated by the four people group inside the right elevator who swiftly came out of the right elevator after its door opened. Once they all stepped out of the elevator, they looked around the ground floor of Shinra company to see if there's any Shinra securities or soldiers waiting to captured them but found neither, hide, hair nor shadow of them, to their surprise.

"I'll go on ahead! The three of you stay here!" Barret told Aeris, Kunsel and Red XIII as he looked over his shoulder at them and they nodded before they watched Barret ran toward the large main entrance which led in and out of Shinra company. But before he could do so, he saw a legion of Shinra army standing outside of Shinra company with their assault rifles, sub-machine guns and swords in their hands (while aiming them at Barret and the others inside Shinra company) and he halted in his tracks before he went out. He then raised his gun-arm and opened fire on the Shinra army waiting outside through the main entrance, to no avail since his bullets just bounce off the main entrance (which turns out to be bulletproof) and he gritted his teeth, lowered his gun-arm, turned around and run back to where the others were still waiting.

"Let me guess, we got surrounded, huh?" said Kunsel.

"Damn right, soldier guy!" growled Barret, annoyed and waving his arms around. "If I was alone this wouldn't be a thang but, I gotta reputation and some people to protect."

"You three should get out while you still can." said Aeris to them sadly while shaking her head. "It's not you three they're after… it's me."

"Oh yeah? Well, that ain't happenin' on my watch." said Barret sternly as he turned to glance at her. "You got caught up in this because of Marlene and Wren and I'm grateful for that. Now, it's my turn to repay the favor by watching out for you!" Barret then turned back around to faced the Shinra army waiting outside and raised his gun-arm again. "Ok, playtime's over for you jackasses…"

Aeris widened her eyes in surprise and awed at what Barret just said to her and she took a few steps forward to his back. "… thank you, Mr Barret!" said Aeris in a grateful tone of voice to him.

That statement had Barret turned around immediately and he glance at her with anger and slight embarrassment in his eyes (while Kunsel snicker quietly behind her and Barret). "Who you callin' Mr Barret? That don't sound right!" Barret demanded at her.

"Well then…" said Red XIII suddenly in a serious tone of voice as he glance at all three of them with disapproval/impatience on his face. "If you all are through talking and snickering (Kunsel immediately ceased his snickering), may I suggest that we think of a way to get out of here."

"Huh?" said Barret as he glance from Aeris to Red XIII in confusion before he remembered their current situation. "Oh, oh yeah… You a cold man. Just like a certain someone I know who's a few floors above us."

"Did you just say something?" growled Red XIII as he glared at Barret and bared his fangs.

"Notta thing." said Barret quickly. He then looked at both Aeris and Kunsel and change the subject before Red XIII could speak again. "So what're we gonna do now? You two have any ideas?" Barret asked them both.

Both Kunsel and Aeris stared at him in disbelief and Kunsel sighed while Aeris shake her head in dismay. And before they could say something to Barret, all four of them heard the sounds of two footsteps running down the stairs behind them to their left and they turned around to looked up at the staircase and saw that it's Tifa and Angelina.

"Barret! Aeris! Everyone!" yelled both Tifa and Angelina as they run down the stairs toward them. Barret, Aeris, Kunsel and Red XIII were relieved to see them both but they were surprised when they didn't see either Cloud or Laina following behind them.

"Tifa, Angelina!" said Barret as he stared up at the both of them. "Where's Cloud and Laina?"

"No time for that now!" yelled Angelina as she run down the last few steps of the staircase onto the ground floor with Tifa next to her, both of them looking around the ground floor for something, found it and they run deeper into another room within the ground floor (which turns out to be an exhibition room where Shinra company placed their various types of vehicles, a large picture of Highwind and a large model of Shinra rocket No.26), away from Barret and the others. "We'll tell you guys later!"

"Hurry, everyone! Over here!" yelled Tifa as she waved her hand to beckoned them to come over through the glass window with the Shinra logo/words on it inside the room.

"Huh?" said Barret, in confusion. "Why? What's up?"

"Like Angie just said, no time for that now!" Tifa called to them from inside the room while shaking her head in exasperation (while Angelina attempt to hotwire a light, blue-coloured truck nearby her and succeeded). "Hurry, Hurry!"

Barret exchange confused glances with Aeris, Kunsel and Red XIII and without hesitating, they all run straight toward the room where both Tifa and Angelina just went in and went into it as well. Once they're inside the room, they soon saw both Tifa and Angelina sitting inside the light, blue-coloured truck (Angelina's sitting on the driver's seat while Tifa sitting on the passenger seat next to her) which Angelina just hotwire seconds ago. Barret, Kunsel and Red XIII immediately run and climbed up onto the back of the truck while Aeris run toward the right side of the truck, open the door, went in and sat next to Tifa on the passenger seat (which luckily had one more space for her).

Soon after they're all sitting inside the truck and on the back of it, the silence of the ground floor was suddenly broken by the sounds of two revving machines come thudding down the stairs above them until the sounds of the revving machines reached the ground floor, swerved/turned around toward the exhibition room and headed straight in where the others all were and they soon saw that it's both Cloud and Laina, both of them sitting/riding on two of Shinra company finest-looking motorcycles (the one Cloud ride is named Hardy-Daytona while the one Laina ride is named Thruer).

Both Cloud and Laina glance up at Angelina, Tifa and Aeris sitting inside the truck then at the three others sitting at the back of the truck for a few seconds before they turned their motorcycles around, headed out of the exhibition room with Angelina driving the truck closely behind them. They crashed through part of the glass window with the Shinra logo/words on it with their motorcycles and truck before taking a sharp turn to their left and heading/driving up the curved left staircase toward the first floor of Shinra company. Once all of them reached the first floor of Shinra company, they brought their motorcycles and truck to a halt while they faced the wide glass window which take up most of the back wall of the first floor in Shinra company. Through the window they could see Sector 5 outside and the long road which ran from Shinra company and to the edge of Sector 5.

Both Cloud and Laina turned their heads to looked over their shoulders at Angelina, Tifa and Aeris sitting in the driver/passenger seats in the truck behind them, saw the three of them looking over at them too and both Cloud and Laina nodded to them slightly, which they nodded back before Cloud and Laina turned their heads back to the front, slammed their foot down on the motorcycles accelerator, causing the motorcycles to lurched forward, speeding toward the wide glass window and crashed through the wide glass window loudly which send a shower of many broken glass shards to rained down on some of the Shinra army standing outside Shinra company and they had to shield themselves from the broken glass shards.

After Cloud, Laina and the others crashed through the wide glass window with their motorcycles and truck, they fell and landed heavily on the Sector 5 road behind the backs of the Shinra army (which luckily didn't break their motorcycles and truck) before they drove off down the Sector 5 road at top speed, away from the Shinra army and Shinra company. But not for long as the Shinra army soon sort themselves out, went to get their own motorcycles, started them on and rode on down the Sector 5 road after Cloud, Laina and the others.

When both Cloud and Laina (who's riding on their motorcycles) and Barret, Kunsel and Red XIII (who's sitting on the back of the truck drove by Angelina) saw and heard the Shinra army giving chase and were approaching rapidly behind them, Cloud pulled his Buster sword out from his back and swung/slash at those who were unfortunately close enough to him. As for those who were riding/chasing after Laina, she uses her "Telekinesis" on them, specifically on their motorcycles and making their motorcycles going completely out of control until they crashed against other Shinra army motorcycles or against the concrete wall on either side of the road. As for Barret, Kunsel and Red XIII, the three of them stood up on the back of the moving truck and steady their legs on it before Barret raised his gun-arm and open fire at some of the Shinra army to the truck's left while Kunsel pulled his sword out from his back and swung/slash at the Shinra army to the truck's right, along with some help from Red XIII, who jumped out of the truck, landed on the backs of some of the Shinra army motorcycles and began to attack the Shinra riders with his fangs and claws before jumping and landing onto the next one.

Cloud, Laina, Barret, Kunsel and Red XIII kept this up against the Shinra army driving/chasing after them on the road for a while until the Shinra army suddenly pulled back and away from them, giving them a clear path to drive on. Red XIII quickly jumped away from the Shinra rider motorcycle (after he bite his head off) onto the back of Laina's motorcycle then onto Cloud and finally onto the back of the truck. They were confused as to why the Shinra army suddenly pull away from them and got their answer soon enough when they heard the sound of a large vehicle coming down the road after them.

They all looked behind and over their shoulders at the large vehicle who's now chasing them in place of the Shinra army and saw that it's yet another one of Shinra company large and fearsome-looking robot. This large robot had many sharp-looking spikes on all six of its tires and equipped with two, long swords for its arms and a large flamethrower in the middle of its body.

Cloud, Laina and Angelina picked up the speed on their motorcycles and truck to get away from the large robot, they swerved and turned their motorcycles and truck to passed the final curve of the Sector 5 road and the three of them quickly turned their motorcycles and truck sharply to the left to a screeching halt when they saw that the road in front of them ended in a dead end. Right after they do so, the large robot caught up to them and stopped a few feet behind them.

But before the large robot could begin its attack on them or Cloud, Angelina and the others could attacked it with their weapons and materia, Laina got off her motorcycle, walked past the group toward the large robot, raised her left hand before the robot and immediately the large robot's body began to twist rapidly inward in a grotesque/mangled manner. Laina then clench her left hand into a tight fist and the large robot body ceased its mangled twisting before it's body began to sizzle with electricity then exploded loudly in front of them. Metallic pieces of its body went flying past Laina and past Cloud, Angelina and the others who shielded themselves with their arms from the flying pieces and some of its pieces landed near the edge of the road, near their motorcycles and truck while other metallic pieces fall off the edge of the road, down to the slums below. As for the robot's body, it began to light up with flame and smoke (after Laina make it explode with her power) and Cloud, Angelina and the others lowered their arms, looked up and watched as the robot's body burned brightly while Laina herself turned around and return to the group in silence.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Leaving Midgar, heading to Kalm and hearing Cloud and Angelina's story part 1**

Cloud, Angelina and the others stared at the now destroyed/burning robot lying on the road in silence while their minds thought back to some of the events they've all gone through since the bombing of Mako reactor 5, like the destruction of Sector 7 which killed many people above and below it and infiltrating into Shinra company to saved Aeris and later found out that Sephiroth's alive and he killed off most of the Shinra employees working there, including the president himself. As they were lost in their thoughts, the star-filled night sky soon give way to the faint traces of morning light which creeped over the horizon.

"Well, what do we do now?" asked Barret suddenly as he glance at each of them, his words breaking them out of their thoughts.

None of them answer his question and Cloud suddenly turned away from the destroyed/burning robot, walked past the others (who all turned around to glance at him) toward the edge of the road, glance down and saw that the edge of the road which they're now standing on just hang high above the wild, yellowish ground outside of Midgar, with a long, thick cable hanging on the edge of the road which could bring them down to the depths below.

" _If any of us climbed down this cable, then we'll be outside of Midgar and safe from the clutches of Shinra company. But that's only temporary for us for now plus…another danger had rise up before us."_ thought Cloud grimly to himself before he turned around to glance at the others. "Sephiroth is alive. I… along with Angie, Tifa and Laina, have a huge score to settle with him."

"And that'll saved the Planet?" said Barret as he walked toward Cloud and stopped next to him.

"…. Probably so." replied Angelina as she (and the others with or behind her) walked toward them and she stopped next to Cloud's right.

"Awright, I'm going!" exclaimed Barret in a loud voice to Cloud, Angelina and the others behind them.

"I'm going too." said Aeris in a melancholy tone of voice from behind them. "… I have things that I want to discover for myself out there."

"About the "Cetra", is it?" said Laina as she turned to glance at Aeris.

"About many things, Laina." replied Aeris softly.

"Then, I guess that this is goodbye, Midgar." said Tifa.

"Looks like it's going to be a pretty long journey for us, though." said Kunsel as he crossed his arms.

"What's the matter, Kunsel? Are you backing out?" said Laina as she glance at him with a scowl on her face.

"Of course not, Laina." replied Kunsel, shrugging his shoulders.

After the group had their discussion, Cloud, Angelina and Laina turned around to walked toward the two motorcycles and truck, started them on before driving/putting them safely against the side of the concrete wall on the road before they turned them off, turned around again to walked back past the group toward the long, thick cable hanging on the edge of the road, grabbed it and climbed down the cable one by one (Cloud taking the lead first), dropped onto the ground below before they all turned to stared back at Midgar then they turned to glance at each other.

"Aeris and I told her mom to leave Midgar, take both Marlene and Wren and go somewhere safe, so the three of them should be safe too." Barret told the others before he turned to glance at her.

"Yeah." replied Aeris as she glance at him and nodded gratefully. "She told me that she didn't want to stay in Midgar anymore… Maybe it's for the best."

"It is the best decision, Aeris." said Laina, nodding in approval. "For her and for both Marlene and Wren."

"You know what, Laina?" said Aeris.

"What, Aeris?" said Laina.

"This is the first time I've ever leave Midgar…" replied Aeris softly.

"And are you worried now?" Laina asked her.

"A little… no. A lot, actually." replied Aeris, sounding quite nervous then she calm down. "But now I've you guys to accompanied me, isn't it?"

"Yeah. That's right." said Laina.

"… I guess this is the start of our journey…" said Tifa in a solemn/scared tone of voice, concern on her face and her arms crossed over her chest.

"You hate travelling, Tifa?" asked Cloud as he and Angelina turned to glance at Tifa.

"… I don't really know, Cloud." admitted Tifa worriedly as she glance at both Cloud and Angelina. "But, I don't have anywhere else to go. So I guess it doesn't really matter whether I like to travel or not."

"If you say so." said Angelina as she scratch the back of her head before turning to glance at Red XIII. "And what about you, Red XIII?"

Red XIII heard her question and he turned to glance at all of them. "Me? I'm planning on going back to my hometown so I'll go with you all until I reached there." Red XIII told them.

"Well then…" said Cloud as he walked forward past them to the head of the group then turned around to faced them all. "Let's go, everyone!"

"Wait just a second!" said Barret suddenly to them and they turned to glance at him. "We need a dependent group leader to lead us for our journey." Barret then began to flexed his muscles and air-punches the air to show off his strength. "And I think it should be me."

"You think so…?" said Tifa, unconvinced at Barret being leader of their group.

"I think Cloud should be the one, Barret." Aeris said to Barret with a smile on her face and he immediately froze before his face turned sour-looking.

"Are you sure about that, Aeris?" said Kunsel as he scowled at Aeris then at Cloud. "Shouldn't Laina be the more suitable leader?"

"It's fine, Kunsel." said Laina as she glance at him. "I'm not cut out to be the leader of the group so I don't mind about it at all. And I agreed with Aeris, you should be our leader, Cloud."

Kunsel was about to protest some more but decided to kept quiet instead.

"#$%&… Awright." cursed Barret slightly as he give in to both Aeris and Laina's words. He then glance up angrily at Cloud. "Go Northeast to a town called "Kalm". If something happened, we'll meet up there." Barret told Cloud grumpily before he sat down on the ground, crossed his legs and refused to looked at Cloud. "Sides, we can't have 8 people strolling down the fields. It's too dangerous for us so… Cloud, split us into two groups…"

Cloud sighed before he crossed his arms, turned to looked at the others, thinking about who should he take with him and Angie while letting others followed Barret as the second group. After a few seconds, he decided, uncrossed his arms, raised and pointed his finger at Tifa and Aeris. Both Tifa and Aeris smiled before they ran forward and stood near Cloud and Angelina while both Laina and Kunsel nodded then walked forward and stood near Barret and Red XIII.

"I thought so." said Barret as he glance at the group Cloud decided before Barret stood up from the ground and waved his arm at Cloud and the three women. "See you guys later, at Kalm!"

"Be careful." Laina told Cloud and his group before she, Barret, Kunsel and Red XIII turned and headed away from Midgar, Cloud and the three women to their left while Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris turned to glance at Midgar for the final time for a few seconds before they turned around and headed away to their right, away from Midgar.

XXXX

After two hours of leaving Midgar and wandering the wild fields (and fighting/killing off any monsters who approach them), the two group finally arrived at the town of Kalm and regrouped.

"Well, here we all are." said Barret as he turned to glance at the others. "This is Kalm."

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others all glance around at the town of Kalm, which unlike Midgar, whose air is thick and heavy with the acrid smell of metallic machinery, mako energy, oil, dust and rust (except for Aeris little flower garden in her church and the various, huge flower gardens outside her house). The air in the town of Kalm was quite clean and refreshing, with not a tiny whiff of smoke, metal or dust floating around in the air. The town itself was quite small and quiet, unlike the large, bustling and noisy city of Midgar, with many of the two-storey/three-storey houses, shops and an inn built with dark, red painted wood over white walls of white brick stones and with ocean, blue-coloured tiled roofs on each of the houses. And the people who lived here (both young and elderly) seem to be quite happy and peaceful.

After the group done surveying/looking around the town of Kalm and its people, Aeris soon spotted an inn with a sign hanging outside the red-coloured door with the name "Merlot inn" written on it and she quickly told the others about it before she went toward it, open the door and went in. Once she went in, some of the group sighed heavily (Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina) before they all went into the inn, walked toward the receptionist standing behind the desk and pay the receptionist for one night before they all turned left, went up the stairs and into the inn second floor bedrooms. They saw Aeris sitting on one of the bed (with a single, white pillow and a dark, pink-coloured blanket on it) and immediately the group split away into different parts of the room. Both Angelina and Tifa went and sit on the bed in between Aeris, Barret went to the wall to his right, turned around and leaned his back against it, Red XIII went toward the window near the bed where Tifa just sat down and lie down on the wooden floor near it and both Laina and Kunsel went and sat down on two, light brown-coloured chairs near a semi-small round table in a far right corner of the room.

"Is everyone all here now?" said Barret, sounding a little irritated.

"Yeah." replied Aeris as she glance around at everyone and nodded to Barret. "Everyone's all here now…"

"So let's all hear your story, spiky…" said Barret sternly to Cloud, who glance at him. "You know, the one where you told us about Sephiroth and the real crisis the Planet's facing now."

Cloud glance from Barret over at Angelina who sat on the bed then over at Laina who sat on a chair near a semi-small round table and they both looked up at him and nodded. Cloud then lowered his head to stared at the wooden floor, took a deep breath and began telling them his story.

"Angie and I used to hear many stories about the great SOLDIER hero, Sephiroth's heroic deeds to the Planet the adults told us when we were children in Nibelheim and that's the reason why the both of us decided to leave Nibelheim to joined SOLDIER." said Cloud.

"After we joined SOLDIER, we gone through many tiring trainings and we finally get to meet him and Laina Donovan." said Angelina as she glance over at Laina and was surprised when she saw Laina turning her head away to glance out the window on the wall near her and Kunsel. "After Cloud and I gone through many missions with them both, we became close friends."

"You two called someone like that a close friend?" said Barret in a shocked tone of voice as he thought back to the many Shinra employees and the president himself who got killed by him back in Shinra company.

"Yeah, well. It's kinda hard to say…" said Cloud as he sighed. "Sephiroth was a few years older than the three of us and he hardly ever talks about himself."

" _You got that right, Cloud."_ thought Laina with a small smirk on her face.

"…" mumbled Tifa quietly as she listens to both Cloud and Angelina's story with a grave look on her face.

"So I guess that you could called him our war buddy… The four of us trusted each other… until one day…" said Angelina before she trailed off and her face turned dark.

"One day?" asked Aeris, tilted her head.

Cloud suddenly turned around and looked away from the others. "After the war against Wutai has ended, it was SOLDIER's duty to put or take down any resistance/terrorist force against Shinra company…" Cloud told them. "…That was five, six years ago… I was 16 and Angie was 15…"

Laina clenched her eyes shut and continued listened to both Cloud and Angelina's story, even though it's partially false and utterly painful within her mind, heart and soul. Kunsel noticed it and watched her with sadness/pity in his eyes.

XXXX

 _Cloud stood up, walked toward the back of the truck which was carrying them along (Sephiroth, Laina, Angelina in their 1st class soldier uniforms with their weapons lying in a corner near them in the truck, two infantrymen in their infantrymen uniforms sitting at the back with them and one driving the truck in front of them) and looked out of the semi-large window at the back of it. It was hard for him to see out at the fields and trees due to the heavy, pouring rain falling down from the dark grey, overcast sky above._

" _It sure is raining quite hard…" said Cloud as he continued looking outside of the truck window._

" _Yeah, we know that, Cloud." said Laina, sighing. "That's the 5th, 6th time you've said it to us."_

" _That's how he's always been, Laina." said Angelina with a light chuckle as she glance at Laina. "You'll get use to it."_

" _Oh, wonderful." said Laina, slightly sarcastically._

 _Cloud heard what Laina said, turned around and scowled at her before he turned to looked at the infantrymen sitting beside Angelina to his left, who was looking quite anxious and trembling a little. He also looked a little pale and sick._

" _Hey, how are you doing, buddy?" Cloud asked the infantryman._

 _The infantryman looked up at Cloud and waved his arm a little before he lowered it and looked down. "I'm all right. Just feeling a little sick."_

" _I wouldn't know…for I've never had motion sickness." Cloud admitted to the infantryman (which make Angelina rolled her eyes) before he turned away from them both and walked toward the second infantryman sitting behind the third infantryman who's driving. He then asked the second infantryman the same question which he asked the first infantryman and got no answer from him. Cloud then walked away from him and began pacing back and forth on the truck, unable to contain his excitement._

" _Hey," said a deep, calm and authoritative voice to his right and Cloud ceased his pacing and turned to looked at Sephiroth, who's now looking at him with sharp, glowing bluish-green mako eyes on his face. "Settle down."_

" _They gave me some new materia." Cloud told Sephiroth as he began to do his usual squatting thing in front of Sephiroth (which make both Laina and Angelina shake their heads and feeling annoyed at Cloud and make the infantryman sitting next to Angelina feeling even more nauseous). "I just can't wait to use it."_

"… _You're just like a kid." remarked Sephiroth with a small smile on his face before he chuckled a little._

" _Like I just said to Laina just now, that's how he's always been, mister Sephiroth." said Angelina as she glance at Sephiroth. "I would know, since I grew up with him."_

 _Cloud ceased his squatting, looked over his shoulder at Angelina and scowled at her (which make her stick her tongue out back at him) before he glance back at Sephiroth. "So, are you going to briefed us about this mission?" Cloud asked Sephiroth._

"… _This isn't a typical, ordinary mission." said Sephiroth with a small sigh._

" _Good!" replied Cloud in an excited tone of voice._

" _Why do you say that?" said Sephiroth, a little surprised at Cloud's sudden excitement._

" _The reason why he's like that is because the two of us joined SOLDIER so we could be like both you and Laina." said Angelina to Sephiroth and he glance away from Cloud to her while Cloud himself turned away from them and looked up at the roof of the truck. "But by the time we made into 1st class, the war against Wutai was over. Our hopes of becoming heroes like you two went down the drain with the war."_

" _That's why the two of us signed ourselves up whenever there's a big mission. Kind of like a way to prove ourselves." Cloud finished Angelina's words before he turned around to faced them._

" _You two are quite weird and reckless sometimes, Cloud, Angelina." said Laina as she closed her eyes and shake her head._

" _Say, how do you feel now, mister Sephiroth?" Cloud asked Sephiroth._

"… _Didn't you just told me that you wanted a briefing?" said Sephiroth as he glance at Cloud with disbelief on his face (while sighing heavily) and Cloud scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Our mission this time is to investigate an old Mako reactor. There have been reports from the workers working there who talk about it malfunctioning and creating powerful, brutal monsters. First, we'll dispose of those monsters then we'll locate the problem of the malfunction and neutralize it."_

 _Cloud crossed his arms and lightly tapped his left foot against the floor of the truck. "Powerful, brutal monsters, huh?" Cloud pondered in his mind for a while before he broke his thought and glance at Sephiroth again. "Where?"_

" _The Mako reactor at Nibelheim." Sephiroth told him._

 _Cloud widened his eyes and Angelina immediately stood up from where she sat (which nearly make the infantryman sitting next to her fell down to the side) and glance at Sephiroth, both of them in surprise._

" _Did you just said Nibelheim?" said Cloud._

" _Yes." replied Sephiroth._

" _That's where the both of us came from." said Angelina._

" _Really?" said Laina as she glance at the both of them. "We didn't know."_

" _Hmmm… Hometown…" Sephiroth mumbled quietly to himself._

 _Seconds after Sephiroth mumbled to himself, the sound of something crashing against the outside of the truck, causing the people sitting/standing in the truck to fall and knocked against the wall of the truck (except for Sephiroth and the driver) and nearly make the truck fell sideways on its wheels._

" _Sir…s, something huge just crashed against our truck!" said the driver fearfully as he glance back at Sephiroth, Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the two infantrymen._

 _Laina swiftly stood up from the floor of the truck, grabbed her sword and walked toward the back door of the truck, opened it to reveal a giant, fierce-looking green dragon staring at them with a very fierce look on its face as it stands under the pouring rain._

" _It would seem that one of the brutal monsters has show itself…" said Sephiroth as he grabbed hold of his Masamune sword, stood up and walked past Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the two infantrymen out of the truck. The many droplets of rain fall down onto his long, silver hair, his face and onto his black, soldier uniform. But for some unknown reason, he wasn't getting soaked by it._

 _Both Cloud and Angelina quickly grabbed hold of their sword and naginata with the intention to helped Sephiroth in fighting the large, green dragon but Laina managed to prevented them from doing so and told them both to just watch. So they both watched quietly and slightly reluctantly at Sephiroth as he killed off the large, green dragon with one, single strike of his Masamune before the large, green dragon let out a roar of anguish pain and it fell dead onto the wet ground. Sephiroth then turned around, walked back toward the truck, climbed in and walked past them, sat down and put his sword down beside him. Laina then closed the truck back door, went and sit down on the left-side floor of the truck (while both Cloud and Angelina still stared at Sephiroth with awed looks on their faces) and the driver soon continue driving on._

XXXX

"Sephiroth strength and sword skill is beyond what we both imagined." explained Cloud to the others as they listened attentively to his story. "He is far stronger in reality than any story any of you might have heard about in Shinra news."

"So… where do you two come in?" Aeris asked him.

"Us?" said Angelina. "Both Cloud and I were in awed after we saw the way he fought against that dragon monster."

"…" mumbled Tifa quietly as she turned her head to her left, glancing away from both Cloud and Angelina and kept on listening to Cloud's story, despite the bad memories which the story make her remember. As for Laina herself, she still had her eyes clench shut and in silence.

"… and then, we all reached Nibelheim." continued Angelina before she trailed off, glance over at Cloud and he nodded to her before continuing his story.

XXXX

 _Not long after Sephiroth killed off the large, green dragon while on the road to Nibelheim, they finally reached Nibelheim. The infantryman driver turned off the truck's engine and he got off the truck, same goes for Sephiroth, Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the other two infantrymen sitting/standing at the back of the truck. Sephiroth take the lead as he lead the way through the entrance of Nibelheim, with Cloud, Angelina and Laina following close behind him and the three infantrymens following close behind them. Sephiroth took a look around at the village and see no one in sight, as if the village was like a quiet, ghost village (while behind him, Laina also thought the same as him and both Cloud and Angelina were very nervous about being home for the first time)._

" _So, how does it feel to you two?" Sephiroth asked suddenly as he glance over his shoulder at both Cloud and Angelina. His words broke Laina's train of thought and she glance at them as well. "To finally be home after all this long time? Since I have no hometown, I wouldn't know what it feels like."_

" _Uh? What about your family?" Cloud asked Sephiroth as he took a step forward._

" _My mother's name is Jenova. She died shortly after she gave birth to me. As for my father…" Sephiroth answered Cloud's question, trailed off and suddenly threw his head back and laughed, which surprises them. "Why am I talking about this to you all?" said Sephiroth as he placed a hand on his forehead before he turned away from them. "Come on, let's keep on going." Sephiroth told them before he starts walking forward again. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the three infantrymens behind them followed behind him deeper into the village of Nibelheim._

XXXX

"Yo, wait a damn minute!" Barret interrupted suddenly, halting Cloud from saying his story and everyone turned to glance at Barret with irritation in their eyes and faces. "Isn't that, um…? The name of Sephiroth's mother…" said Barret to Cloud as he scratched the back of his head in confusion. "I remember Jenova. That's that damn headless spook we saw inside that dome-like thing back in Shinra company!"

"Yeah, that's right, Barret." replied Cloud with a nod of his head.

"That creature woman you saw, Barret." said Laina, still with her eyes clench shut. "Is Sephiroth's mother, in a certain way."

"Barret, would you please pipe down and let us listen to what both Cloud and Angie has to say?" said Tifa curtly to Barret while crossing her arms over her chest. "You can asked them questions later."

"Tifa, I was only…" protested Barret.

"Okay, you two, continue." said Tifa to both Cloud and Angelina as she glance at them, ignoring Barret.

"It's a reunion of childhood friends!" exclaimed Aeris in a joyful tone of voice.

" _If only that were so that time…"_ thought Laina grimly.

Cloud nodded to Tifa before continuing. "… I was really surprised with Tifa." said Cloud while both he and Angelina glance over at Tifa and saw that she had turned her head to looked away from them again. "… The entire village was quiet. Everyone we know must be staying in their houses, afraid to come out because of the brutal monsters… No, maybe they're afraid of us…"

XXXX

 _Cloud, Angelina, Laina and two of the three infantrymens (the third infantryman choose to stand guard near the village entrance) walked toward Sephiroth, who's standing just outside a building with the word "Inn" written on it._

" _We leave for the reactor at the break of dawn. Make sure that you three get to sleep early." Sephiroth told Cloud, Angelina and Laina with a serious look on his face and all three of them nodded to him. Sephiroth then turned to looked at the two infantrymens near Cloud, Angelina and Laina. "All we need is one lookout, so the rest of you, get some rest as well."_

" _Yes sir!" replied both of the infantrymens._

 _Sephiroth then turned, about to open the inn door and went in when he suddenly remember something and glance over his shoulder at both Cloud and Angelina. "Ah, that's right… The both of you have permission from me to go and visit your families and friends, if you two wished." Sephiroth told them both and Cloud nodded while Angelina smiled gratefully at him before he open the door, went into the inn and the door closed behind him._

 _After Sephiroth went into the inn, the two infantrymens immediately went to stand on both sides of the inn entrance while both Cloud and Angelina turned to glance at Laina and told her to go and have a look around the village they live. She smiled, took up their offer and went off on her own to check the place out. Cloud and Angelina watched her go until she's out of their sight before they went toward each of their houses (with Tifa's large house in between theirs) and opposite the inn and went in to see their parents._


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Hearing Cloud and Angelina's story part 2**

"We went to our house and saw our parents, but…" said Cloud, stopping for a second then continue. "It has nothing to do with that incident five, six years ago."

"Yo, wait, I wanna hear more." said Barret.

"Me too!" said Aeris. "It's been a long time for you two, isn't it?"

"So tell us more!" insisted Barret. "You two saw your family, right?"

Both Cloud and Angelina looked at the eager faces of Barret and Aeris, sighed deeply and decided to tell them about it, albeit reluctantly. But before they could tell them, Laina's voice interrupted them.

"It's okay if you two don't want to tell them about it, Cloud, Angelina." Laina told them as she open her eyes (finally) and glance over her shoulder at them. "So you two don't have to force yourselves to say it. And not another word from you two, Barret, Aeris." added Laina sternly when she noticed that both Barret and Aeris were about to protest about it. They both lapsed into silence and both Cloud and Angelina gave her grateful looks before they continue the story, cutting out the part where they saw their parents.

XXXX

 _After both Cloud and Angelina was done in seeing their parents in their houses, they left their houses, went back to the inn, went in and saw an elderly man standing behind the desk reading the newspapers with another elderly, peculiar yet muscular man wearing a peculiar outfit with a deep, green cloak tied around his neck (which is Zangan, Tifa's martial arts teacher) standing next to the desk on his right. They glance up, saw Cloud and Angelina and the four of them greeted and talked to each other for a while before the elderly man and Zangan lapsed back into silence and both Cloud and Angelina turned left, went up the stairs to the first floor of the inn and they saw Sephiroth standing outside the inn's rooms near a window with Laina standing near him, both of them staring out at the scenery beyond in silence._

" _What are you two looking at?" Cloud asked Sephiroth as he and Angelina approach the two of them and they looked out the window to see what he and Laina sees as well (while behind them, one of the three infantrymens came up the stairs, walked past them and went into the inn's room for the men). All they saw is an old, large mansion build/located to the North of the village (owned by Shinra company) standing under the dry, dead mountains of Mount Nibel._

"… _This landscape…" said Sephiroth in a small voice to them. "I could swear that I've seen it before." He glance at the scenery for a few more minutes before sighing and shaking his head and turned away from the window to glance at Cloud, Angelina and Laina._

"… _We have an early start tomorrow. You all should get some sleep soon." Sephiroth told them._

 _Cloud, Angelina and Laina exchange uneasy/worried looks at each other then at Sephiroth before Cloud nodded to him. "Alright, we'll get some sleep."_

" _Also, I've hired a guide who's going to take us up the mountain to the Mako reactor." Sephiroth told them as he turned back to glance out the window again. "The villagers told me that the guide's a young girl. I hoped that she's reliable…"_

 _Cloud, Angelina and Laina glance at him for a few more seconds before they turned and went into each of the two rooms within the inn and fell asleep in preparation for tomorrow._

 _XXXX_

 _The next day, all of them woke up early, freshen themselves up and went down the stairs to have a simple breakfast of toasted butter breads with orange juices before they left the inn, turned north and went up the stairs in the direction of the mansion. When they arrived before the rusty-looking iron gate of the mansion, both Cloud and Angelina were quite surprise to see their childhood friend, Tifa standing there (and wearing a white tank top with a brown vest over it with a cowboy hat on her head whose colour match the vest she's wearing along with a brown miniskirt with a dark brown belt on it and a pair of knee-length brown boots) with two men near her. One of them wearing a white shirt with long, dark brown trousers and holding a camera in his hands while the other is wearing a dark blue shirt with black trousers (which is Tifa's father)._

" _Tifa!" Cloud said to her in surprise. "You're the guide Sephiroth hired yesterday?"_

" _That's right!" replied Tifa with a smile on her face as she tipped her hat to both Cloud and Angelina (which make Laina smiled a little). "Tifa Lockhart! At your service! It's been a while, Cloud, Angie. How have you two been?" Tifa asked them._

" _We're both fine and dandy, Tifa. Thanks for asking." replied Angelina, smiling at Tifa._

" _Listen to me, Mr Sephiroth." said Tifa's father in a firm tone of voice as he glance at Sephiroth, interrupting the conversation between Cloud, Angelina and Tifa. "If something happened to my daughter…"_

"… _Trust me." replied Sephiroth flatly as he glance at Tifa's father._

" _It'll be all right, Dad!" said Tifa in a reassuring tone of voice to her father. "I've one man, one woman and my two childhood friends from SOLDIER with me."_

" _But it's still too dangerous!" Cloud protested while shaking his head. "We can't let you get involved in something like this!"_

" _She'll be fine, Cloud." said Sephiroth. "If either you or Angelina or Laina protect her."_

" _Yeah, like he said, Cloud." said Laina as she patted his shoulder. "So don't you worry about it."_

"… _Come on, let's go." Sephiroth told them and they all nodded to him. But before they could leave for the mountains, the man with the camera in his hands suddenly ran forward and intercepted them._

" _Ummm, wait, please!" said the man nervously as he glance at Sephiroth while he held up the camera he's holding. "Mr Sephiroth! Please let me take one picture of you and the others for a memento! Tifa, Cloud, Angelina, can you three ask him for me, too…?" added the man as he glance away from Sephiroth to Cloud, Angelina and Tifa standing near him._

 _Tifa, Cloud and Angelina glance at the eager look on the man's face before they glance at each other, nodded to him and both Cloud and Angelina approach Sephiroth and told him about the man's request. After they told him about it, Tifa then walked off toward the left-side concrete wall of the rusty-looking iron gate of the mansion, turned around and stood with her back to it while both Cloud and Angelina went away from Sephiroth toward Laina, grabbed hold of each of her arms and dragged her with them to where Tifa stood. Sephiroth glance at them while pondering for a moment on whether he should do it or not before he reluctantly make up his mind and joined the four of them._

" _All right!" said the man as he lifted his camera, ready to take their picture. "All of you get together now and say "Cheese"!"_

 _Immediately everyone (except Sephiroth) began preparing themselves for the picture. Tifa took off her hat to brushed her long, black hair with her hand before she put it back on and began waving, Laina lifted her fingers for a peace sign, Cloud wove his arm over Angelina's shoulder and pull her close to him (which make her blush a little) while Sephiroth himself just stood beside Laina and stare at the camera held by the man in silence as the man snapped a photo of them with his camera._

" _Great! Thank you!" said the man in a happy/excited voice as he lowered his camera and smiled at Cloud, Angelina and Tifa, who smiled back (while Laina stared at them and Sephiroth quickly walked away from them). "I'll give each of you a copy once I got it developed!"_

" _Of course." said Laina as she smiled at the man. "We'll look forward to it."_

 _The man thanked them again before he turned around and leave them, eager to developed the picture he just took as soon as possible. After he's gone, Sephiroth, Laina, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and the two infantrymens walked away from the village toward the mountains of Nibelheim._

XXXX

"A Mako reactor was built deep within Mount. Nibel." Cloud explained to the others as he, Angelina and Laina remembered the thick, cold mist floating in certain parts of the mountain. "The cold air of the mountain of Nibel. It was no different…"

XXXX

 _As they walked further into the mountains (with Tifa taking the lead and guiding them), several monsters (bombs, scissor chitens and raijinchos) appear before them and they wasted no time in defeating/killing them off. Out of the corner of her eyes, Laina saw that both Cloud and Angelina protected Tifa from some of the monsters and she gave them a thumbs-up (which had them smiled back at her). After they got rid of all the monsters coming after them, they sheathed their weapons and resumed their trek on the mountain until they arrived before a long, fragile-looking wooden bridge._

" _It gets harder from here!" Tifa told them in a warning tone of voice. "So you all better watch your footings!"_

 _After Tifa told them, she turned and began to walked onto the wooden bridge, which began to creaked and swayed a little under her weight. She ignored it and continue on walking across the bridge and soon Sephiroth and the others followed behind her and they catch up to her swiftly. But when they approach the middle of the bridge, it began to shake violently and they heard the ropes at the other end of the bridge began to snap apart loudly._

" _Uh… the bridge!" Tifa cried out to everyone behind her. "Brace yourselves!"_

 _The now panicked group (except Sephiroth, who still remained calm even in situations like this) began holding onto each other (Cloud grabbed hold of Angelina's arm, one infantrymen grabbed hold of Laina's waist and pulled her close to him, Tifa clenched onto the second infantrymen arm tightly while Sephiroth stood his ground firmly on the bridge). Soon the bridge break apart and the entire group fell down from the broken bridge onto the ground below._

 _After their fall from the broken bridge, Cloud soon regained consciousness, woke up and saw both Angelina and Tifa lying face-down on the harsh, dry and rocky ground beneath the mountains near him. He quickly woke them both up and they woke up, looked around their current surroundings with confusion in their eyes before their eyes landed on Cloud and they sighed in relieved. But before either of them could say anything to Cloud, they heard the sounds of footsteps approaching them and both Cloud and Angelina quickly stood up, pull their weapons out in preparation for a fight while they stand in front of Tifa, protecting her against whatever's coming. When they saw that it's Sephiroth, Laina and one of the two infantrymen who appear, they relaxed their guards and put their weapons back behind them._

" _Cloud, Angelina, Tifa!" said Laina in a relieved tone of voice when she saw them. "Thank Gaia, we finally found you three! Are you three alright?" Laina asked them._

" _Yeah, we're all alright, Laina." replied Cloud as he glance at her. "And what about you guys?"_

" _Everyone seems to be all right." said Sephiroth calmly as he looked around their surroundings then at each of them before stopping on Tifa. "Can we get back to where we were before the bridge broke apart?" Sephiroth asked her._

" _I think so." replied Tifa as she glance around the area where they had just fell. "These caves here are all intertwined together, like an ant farm…" Tifa told him before she trailed off as she looked at the group and noticed that one is missing. "Oh, and Sephiroth… we seem to be short one person…"_

 _Sephiroth closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "I know it sounds cold, but we've got no time to search for him. None of us can go back now, so we must go on." He opened his eyes and glance at her firmly. "We'll travel together from here on."_

 _And so they begin their long walk up the mountains and arrived before a cave at the foot of the mountain (after they took care of some more scissor chiten monsters along the way) and went into it. When they all entered the cavern, both Laina and Tifa gasped in awed as they looked around at the walls of the cavern, which is old, rough-looking yet glowed brightly with faint, beautiful colours of pale green, blue and yellow from some unusual energy._

" _What is this place?" Cloud asked Tifa as both he and Angelina glance around the cavern in awed as well._

" _A mysteriously coloured cavern…" whispered Tifa as she turned to glance at both of them._

" _It's beautiful…" said Laina._

" _It must be the Mako energy." answered Sephiroth as he turned to glance at them. "The colours are part of the effect of Mako energy. This mountain is especially abundant in it. That's why Shinra company built a Mako reactor here."_

 _Sephiroth took the lead and headed deeper into the cavern, not wanting to waste any more time in gawking and admiring the beauty of the cavern. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and the infantryman ceased looking around the cavern and hurried after Sephiroth, who by now had already went out through another cavern exit at the opposite end of the cavern. When they went through the cavern exit and caught up to him, they saw that they're within another area which turns out to be a large, secluded grotto. And in the center of the grotto ahead of them, with sunlight shining on it was a beautiful, natural rocky fountain with a large, pale green mako crystal at the pinnacle of the rocky fountain and ethereal green water at the bottom of it._

"… _And what's this?" asked Angelina, awed at the sight before her._

" _A Mako fountain, Angelina." replied Sephiroth as he glance at her. "A miracle of nature."_

" _It's so beautiful…" whispered Tifa, in awed._

" _Yeah, it truly is, Tifa." said Laina, agreeing with her._

 _Tifa walked away from the group toward the fountain and inspected it for a few seconds before she turned around to glance at them with a sad look on her face. "If the Mako reactor continue sucking up the energy here, this fountain will dry up, too…"_

" _Eventually." said Sephiroth grimly as he walked toward her and the fountain (Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the infantryman followed closely behind him) and stood opposite her, staring at the mako crystal on the fountain. "Materia. When you condense Mako energy long enough, it produces materia. It's very rare to be able to see materia in its natural state."_

 _Tifa nodded and glance back at the fountain._

" _By the way…" said Cloud suddenly as he glance at Sephiroth. "Why is it that when you used materia, you can also used strong magic too?"_

 _Sephiroth, Laina and Angelina heard his question and they all looked at him with disbelief and mocking disgust on their faces._

" _W-Why are you three looking at me like that?" said Cloud._

" _Dear Gaia, Cloud. You were in SOLDIER with us for years and you still don't even know something as simple as that?" said Laina as she placed her hand on her forehead and shake her head._

" _Well, sorry for that, Laina." said Cloud as he scratched the back of his head._

"… _Within each materia holds the knowledge and wisdom of the "Ancients"." Sephiroth began explaining to Cloud, who listens attentively. "Anyone with this knowledge can freely use the powers of the "Land" and the "Planet". That knowledge helps us to interact with the "Planet" and allowed us to called up and use magic… or so they say."_

" _Magic…" murmured Cloud thoughtfully as he glance back at the mako crystal on the rocky fountain. "…Such a mysterious power…"_

 _Suddenly, Sephiroth began laughed out loud in front of Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and the infantryman and they all glance at him with confusion on each of their faces._

" _Did I just say somethin' funny?" Cloud asked Sephiroth._

" _Obviously, Cloud." muttered Angelina in a small voice._

 _Sephiroth stopped laughing and shook his head before glancing over at Cloud. "A man once told me to never use such an unscientific term as mysterious power! It shouldn't even be called "magic"!" said Sephiroth in a serious tone of voice to Cloud. "I still remember how livid he was."_

" _Who was is who said that to you, Sephiroth?" Angelina asked him._

" _Hojo of Shinra company…" Sephiroth answered Angelina's question and she noticed out of the corner of her eyes that a dark, angry look immediately appeared on Laina's face when Laina heard Sephiroth said the name. "An inexperienced man assigned to take over the work of a great scientist. He was a walking mass of complexes."_

" _A mako fountain…" Tifa interrupted into their conversation as she glance away from the fountain to them. "So this is where the knowledge and wisdom of the "Ancients" is."_

" _Come on, let's leave this place and keep going." Sephiroth told the others and they all nodded before they left and exited from the grotto, resumed their walk up the mountain to the reactor (with Tifa taking the lead). Finally the group reached the Mako reactor and Sephiroth began walking up the stairs._

" _I want to go inside and have a look too!" said Tifa suddenly to them. Cloud, Angelina and Laina stared at her in slight surprise while Sephiroth stop in his tracks and turned around to glance down at her._

" _This is a top-secret facility, young lady." Sephiroth told her. "Non-Shinra personnel are not permitted inside."_

" _But…!" Tifa began to protest and Sephiroth turned his glance from her to the infantryman. "You there, keep the young lady safe."_

" _Sorry, Tifa." Angelina told her in an apologetic tone of voice as she, along with Cloud and Laina turned and went up the stairs after Sephiroth. Tifa run forward, intend to followed them but got stopped by the infantryman, who raised his right hand at her and shook his head._

" _Humph, men!" said Tifa in an angry tone of voice before she turned and stormed away a few steps from the infantryman._

 _XXXX_

 _As Sephiroth, Cloud, Angelina and Laina walked further into the reactor, they entered a large, crimson-coloured room with many pod-like devices (big enough to fit a human) standing on either side of them in the room. They began walking up the stairs and stopped before a huge sealed metal door with a single word "JENOVA" etched above the door._

" _Jenova… interesting. The door is… sealed, of course." said Cloud to himself as he, Angelina and Laina looked at the metal door before they began to turn away and then both Cloud and Angelina turn their heads to look back up at the word above the metal door in surprise. "Wait? Jenova?" Cloud said the word again before he, Angelina and Laina glance down and they see Sephiroth walking down the stairs toward the first row of the pods on their left and gazing at one of them._

" _This is the cause of the maifunction." Sephiroth told them as they walked down the stairs to joined him. "This section here is broken. Cloud, go and sealed the valve."_

 _Cloud nodded and went toward the red valve to their left near the pods and sealed it off._

" _Why did it break?" said Sephiroth and both Angelina and Laina watched as he moved away from them to get a closer look inside another pod on their right. Done with sealing the valve, Cloud joined up with Angelina and Laina and they approach Sephiroth, who saw them coming and he step aside for them to have a look inside of the pod. They look into it and step back from it in surprise, disgust and slight fear._

" _Dear Gaia…" said Angelina._

" _What is that?" said Cloud as he glance at Sephiroth after he stared at the "thing" inside of the pod._

" _You average SOLDIER members are mako-infused humans." Sephiroth told them. "You three are enhanced, but still humans. But then, what are those things in there?" Here Sephiroth gestured at the "thing" inside of the pod with his head. "Their mako energy levels are exponentially higher than you three."_

" _Are they monsters, Sephiroth?" Laina asked him. Sephiroth sighed, walked away from the pod and them and stop near the stairs._

" _Yes, Laina. And the one who created these "things" is Hojo. The Shinra scientist." replied Sephiroth. "Abominations spawned by mako energy, that's what these "things" are."_

" _You said "average member"." Cloud asked Sephiroth. "Then what about you?"_

 _Sephiroth stared at Cloud, pondering his question in silence for a few seconds before he began wincing and clutching his head in his hands while he turned away from them. Worry now, the three of them approach him._

" _Sephiroth!"_

" _H-Hey, Sephiroth!"_

" _What's wrong, Sephiroth? Are you alright?"_

 _Sephiroth didn't answer their questions and he shoved all three of them roughly away from him with an annoyed/angry grunt._

" _N… no… Could it be… that I…?" said Sephiroth in an anguish tone of voice as he stared at his hands. "Was created the same way? Am I the same as these monsters?"_

" _What?" said Laina, in shocked. "Of course that's not true, Sephiroth! You're as much a human like us!"_

" _Laina's right, Sephiroth!" said Angelina sternly to Sephiroth. "You're…"_

" _I knew, ever since I was a child…" Sephiroth continued saying, completely ignoring both of their words. "That I was not like the others. I knew mine was a special existence." Suddenly they all heard something and they glance up at one of the upper pod. The creature inside it was shaking it violently, snarling and demanding to be released from the pod and it did. The pod opened but as soon as it's out, it immediately passed away._

" _Am I even…human…?" Sephiroth asked the question, whether to himself or to Cloud, Angelina or Laina. None of them knows._

XXXX

"Laina, Angelina and I didn't quite understand what Sephiroth was saying at that time." Cloud told the others. "We were surprised and shocked by the fact that Shinra company was creating monsters inside their mako reactors."

Cloud lasped into silence and glance around at the expressions of the others. Barret's face was more angry than before, Aeris lowered her head to stared at the wooden ground, Angelina had the same grim expression as him, Red XIII looked away from both Cloud and Angelina, lost in his thought, Tifa's face was more sad and silent than before and both Laina and Kunsel look out the window again, not looking at the others.

"Damn Shinra company!" swored Barret loudly as he turned away from Cloud and clench his fist angrily. "The more I hear your story, the more I hate' em!"

"… Who would have ever thought that the Mako reactor held a dark secret like that." said Tifa in a soft voice.

"That would certainly seem to explain the increase in the number of monsters lately." said Red XIII thoughtfully before he glance at Barret. "I think we should continue to listen carefully to the rest of Cloud and Angelina's story. Don't you think so, Barret?"

Barret glared at him before he turned back to glance at both Cloud and Angelina and nodded.

"Wait!" said Aeris suddenly before either Cloud or Angelina could continue their story and she glance at Tifa. "Tifa… you were waiting outside then?"

"… Yes." replied Tifa quietly.

"Angie, can you take over for me?" said Cloud as he glance at Angelina, who glance at him and nodded.

"When we left the Mako reactor and returned to Nibelheim…" Angelina began saying. "Sephiroth immediately leave us and confined himself within the Shinra mansion. We decided to go to the mansion the next day to see him before we went back to the inn to sleep."

XXXX

 _Cloud, Angelina and Laina went toward the secret wall and opened it to reveal another staircase which will lead them down (after they entered the Shinra mansion, went up the stairs to the second floor, turned left and went into one of the room). They went through the now opened secret shaft wall and walked down the dark spiral staircase, reached the bottom of it and looked around the dusty, moldy area before they noticed a ladder latched against the wall to their left, went toward it and they climbed down the ladder one by one until they reached deeper into another bottom ground, which turned out to be a tunnel leading straight toward a large, metallic door. They opened the large, metallic door, went through it and found themselves within a huge yet old laboratory with a long, rectangular table (and a kind of light machine which scientist used to shine on their experiments next to the table) in the middle of it, several bookshelves and a cabinet with books and medicine bottles on them, along with several machines and dusty old tubes leaning against the wall in several corner in the room._

 _To their left, Cloud, Angelina and Laina noticed another door and they went toward it, opened it and they saw Sephiroth pacing inside the room (which is a combination of a library and an office due to the many bookshelves with thick, leather-bound books on them and a desk) with an opened book in his hands as he flipped through its pages._

" _A life-form in the state of suspended animation, excavated from a 2000-year-old rock stratum." Sephiroth read/spoke the contents of the book out to himself, ignoring the presences of Cloud, Angelina and Laina, who were watching him worriedly._

" _Professor Gast, leader of the Shinra Science Department (which is before Hojo began the next leader), named this life-form Jenova…" Sephiroth continue saying as he flipped to the next page, turned and began to pace across the library/office. "Date: X/X/XX- Jenova verified as an Ancient… Date: X/X/XX- Jenova Project approved. Mako reactor 1 authorised for use…" he turned around again and pace back the way he came. "My mother's name… Jenova… The Jenova Project… Could this be a coincidence…?"_

 _Slowly, Sephiroth lowered the book he's reading and lifted his head to gaze up at the ceiling of the room. "Professor Gast… Why didn't you tell me any of this? Why did you die…?" Sephiroth said to himself before he lowered his head to glared at the floor._

" _Sephiroth?" said Laina as she took a step forward. "Is there something that you need? Something that we could help get for you?"_

" _What I want now, Laina… is for you, Cloud and Angelina to leave me alone in this room." Sephiroth snapped coldly to her without turning to looked at her and Laina flinched a little from his cold tone of voice, giving his back a pitying glance before she, Cloud and Angelina turned around and left the library/office and laboratory room. The feeling of fear and dread within her, Cloud and Angelina after what they (and Sephiroth) saw inside the Nibelheim Mako reactor began to grow bigger and bigger._

 _XXXX_

"From that day onward, Sephiroth didn't come out of the Shinra mansion…" Angelina told them before she closed her eyes, remembering. "He continued to read book after book, document after document like a man possessed, and not once did the light in the basement went off… And a week later, that's when the tragedy started."

XXXX

 _The sounds of the people screaming outside of the inn combined with the sudden hot temperature in the smoky air woke both Laina and Angelina up from their slumber in the room. They swiftly got off the beds, change into their soldier outfits, grabbed their swords which lay next to the medium-sized square table (the same table like the one in the guys room) in front of their beds, their materia and other stuffs (like hi-potions and X-potions) before they leave their room to check on the room next to theirs, where Cloud were and saw that he's not inside._

" _Cloud! Where are you?" both Laina and Angelina called out to him while they coughed from the smokes in the room before they turned, run swiftly down the stairs in search of Cloud and they burst out through the door of the inn. Laina and Angelina glance around them and saw with horrified looks on their faces that the entire village of Nibelheim had been destroyed, set ablaze and there were some bodies of the villagers lying dead on the ground while few others who managed to survive try their best to put out the flames and helped people while others cried for their dead families/friends._

 _Among the anguish wailings of the survivors and the burning/smoking buildings, both Laina and Angelina finally spotted Cloud (who was on one knee on the ground) as he try to help a person to sit up and they both walked past the surviving villagers, past the collapsed and burning water tower (where Angelina noticed Laina suddenly kneel down to picked up something and put it in her pocket) swiftly toward him and the person he's trying to helped and they saw that it's the infantryman he's helping up._

" _What happened here?" Laina asked the infantryman worriedly. "Who did this?"_

" _Seph… Sephiroth…" the infantryman mumbled the single word out to Cloud, Angelina and Laina and they widened their eyes in shocked upon hearing it from him._

" _Sephiroth did all this? No, that's not possible!" said Angelina, in denial._

" _Is he going to be alright, Cloud?" Laina asked Cloud as he slowly put the now unconscious infantryman down on the ground._

" _Yeah, he should be, for now." replied Cloud grimly._

 _Suddenly, Cloud, Angelina and Laina felt someone watching the three of them from behind and they turned around to faced whoever it is that watches them and they saw that it's Sephiroth. He was standing within the flames with his head lowered and his Masamune sword in his left hand near the stairs which leads up to either the Shinra mansion or the Nibelheim mountain where the Mako reactor is._

" _I'm coming to get you…" said Sephiroth to Cloud, Angelina and Laina before he raised his head to glance at them and they flinched back from the look of pure rage and malice in his eyes. He smiled an evil smile at them before he turned around and walked away, past the flames (which didn't burn him) and up the stairs away from them._

" _How could you?" Cloud growled out in anger as he, Angelina and Laina watched Sephiroth disappear before he looked back at the now burning village of Nibelheim, his and Angelina's hometown. "Sephiroth, how could you do this?"_

" _Cloud, Laina! You two go after him!" Angelina told them both urgently. "I'll stay here and helped these people out! Once I'm done, I'll go after you guys!"_

" _Alright then, Angelina!" replied Laina before she glance away from her to Cloud. "Come on, Cloud! Let's go!"_

 _Without hesitating, both Cloud and Laina began to run up the stairs and headed toward the Mako reactor on the Nibelheim mountain in pursued of Sephiroth. Along the way, they noticed several dead monsters bodies lying everywhere on the rocky ground and they correctly assumed that Sephiroth's the one who disposed of them when they get in his way. Once they've arrived before the reactor, went in and hurried into the large, crimson-coloured room (with its many pod-like devices), they were shocked/horrified when they saw Tifa, the girl who helped guide them through the mountain toward the mako reactor, was now lying on the ground on the left side of the room with a huge, bleeding slash wound from her left shoulder down to her waist._

" _Tifa! Hold on!" said Laina out loud to her in a worry tone as she and Cloud quickly went toward her and Laina pulled out a Curaga materia from her pocket and casted it on Tifa's wound. Soon the bleeding stops and the wound closes. Laina then let out a relieved breath and put the Curaga materia back into her pocket before glancing at Cloud._

" _Cloud, I'm going up and into the "Jenova" room which Sephiroth just went in to confront him about why he do it!" Laina told him firmly and before he could stopped her, Laina already stood up, turned around and run up the stairs and went into the "Jenova" room._

 _Cloud watched her went in before he lowered his head to glance down at Tifa and he saw Tifa slowly opened her eyes, looked up at him and she smiled faintly._

" _Cloud… you came…" Tifa whispered quietly to him. "…You promised… You promised that you'd come… when I was in trouble…"_

" _Yeah, I did." replied Cloud to her before she passed out due to her wound and Cloud lifted her bridal-style, stood up and carry her further into the left-side of the crimson room before putting her down and position her against one of the pod-like device in a sitting position. After he do so, he heard footsteps approaching him and he looked over his shoulder to see who is it and saw that it's Angelina._

" _How is Tifa, Cloud?" Angelina asked him, worried for Tifa._

" _She's fine now, Angie." replied Cloud as he stood up again._

 _They then heard Laina cries of pain coming from within the "Jenova" room and both Cloud and Angelina turned around and hurried up the stairs into the room. Once they stepped into the "Jenova" room, they saw Laina lying face-down on the metallic ground with her sword impaled through her chest and her blood pooling under her while Sephiroth himself was standing on a huge red cord before a female robot with his back to them._

" _Laina, hold on!" said Angelina as she approach and kneel down near Laina and pull the sword out of her chest (which make her hissed in pain) before pulling out her own Curaga materia from her pocket and casted it on Laina's chest wound. While Angelina is healing Laina, Cloud himself glared up at Sephiroth's back._

" _Mother, let's take back the planet together. I…I had an epiphany." Sephiroth spoke to the female-like robot in a tone of soft tenderness. "let's go to the "Promised Land" together…Mother…"_

" _Sephiroth!" Cloud cried out angrily behind him. "What did you find out in the underground basement under the Shinra mansion that's so bad that you had to killed mine, Angelina and Tifa's family and friends and destroyed our hometown?"_

" _Why did you do that?" Angelina yelled up at him (after she's done healing Laina's chest wound, put her down on the ground and stood up). "Answer us, Sephiroth!"_

 _Sephiroth didn't answer their questions and started chuckling to himself instead. "Mother, they're here again. You should have been the one to ruled this planet. You were stronger than them, smarter than them. But then they came…those inferior, lowly dullards…" said Sephiroth as he glared past his shoulder at Cloud, Angelina and Laina, who all silently glared back at him. "They came and took this planet away from you."_

" _But you don't have to be sad anymore, mother. For I'm with you now…" said Sephiroth again as he turned his gaze away from Cloud, Angelina and Laina, back toward the female robot before him and he reached up to grasp its metallic wings before he ripped it away. Cords which connect around the female robot toward something behind it began to snapped apart and emitted statics while a kind of dark liquid began pooling out of the female robot empty eye sockets and mouth. Sephiroth ignored the statics and the dark liquid, tossed the female robot away before raising his head to gazed up at the "thing" (which turns out to be a huge mako pod with a woman inside) before him with a joyful/relieved look on his face._

" _We meet at last, mother…" said Sephiroth as he stared at the woman within the huge mako pod and Cloud, Angelina and Laina saw her too and they wished that they hadn't. The "woman" which Sephiroth called "mother" seconds ago had bluish-grey skin on her entire body, bright pinkish eyes, had long waist-length silver hair floating with the mako water behind her like Sephiroth, a metal helmet on her head with the word "JENOVA" on it and several grotesque looking reddish-like organs on her legs and sticking out (or connected) of her back._

 _Before Sephiroth could take a step forward, Cloud had sprinted up the huge red cord toward him and away from both Angelina and Laina, pulled and raised his sword and placed it against the right side of Sephiroth's face. Sephiroth noticed it and didn't move an inch. Neither did Angelina and Laina as they continue on watching them both and the creature woman within the mako pod._

" _Sephiroth, have you completely lost your mind?" Cloud said out loud to him again._

 _Sephiroth didn't say anything for a few seconds until he turned around swiftly and knocked Cloud's sword away heavily with his Masamune. Cloud grunted when the impact knocked him down several steps away from Sephiroth and Angelina gasped before she moved forward to him (while Laina get up from the ground). Cloud hold his arm out to the both of them (while glancing over his shoulder at them) to reassured them before turning his gaze back to Sephiroth._

" _What about mine, Angie and Tifa's sadness!?" Cloud demanded fiercely to Sephiroth. "Our family… our friends… The sadness of having our hometown being brutally taken away from us by your hands!? It's the same as your sadness!"_

" _Ha, ha, ha… My sadness?" said Sephiroth as he glance down at Cloud, Angelina and Laina. "What do I have to be sad about? I'm the chosen one. I've been chosen to ruled over this planet along with my mother." Sephiroth then clasped his sword in both of his hands. "I've orders to take this planet back from you stupid, inferior people for the "Cetra". What am I supposed to be sad about?"_

 _Cloud lowered his head to looked down at the ground, Angelina step closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder while Laina glance up at Sephiroth with anger/betrayal in her eyes._

" _Sephiroth… we trusted you…" said Cloud quietly to himself before both he, Angelina and Laina raised their swords before them, ready for battle against Sephiroth. "No, you're no longer the Sephiroth we used to know anymore!"_

 _Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Sephiroth glare at each other for a while before they charge toward each other and their battle begins._

 _XXXX_

"… And that's the end of our story." said Angelina, ending the story.

"Wait a damn minute!" spluttered Barret furiously while waving his arms above him. "Ain't there more?"

" _Much more than you think, Barret."_ thought Laina sadly to herself.

"…I don't remember." Angelina told him, shaking her head. "And neither do Cloud and Laina both."

"And what about Sephiroth?" Aeris asked Angelina. "What happened to him?"

"In terms of skills, neither of the three of us could defeat or kill him." Cloud answered her question.

"Official records state that Sephiroth is dead." said Tifa. "I read it in the Shinra newspaper."

"Shinra, Inc. owns the paper, so you can't rely on that information because they're lying and they would covered up the truth." said Kunsel grimly to them.

"…I want to know the truth." said Cloud as he crossed his arms while trying hard to remember what happened after he, Angelina and Laina challenge Sephiroth. "I want to know what happened then. The three of us challenged him and we lived. Why didn't he killed us?"

"That's true, Cloud." said Angelina with a confused look on her face. "Why did he spared our lives?"

"… I also wonder why I'm alive, too." added Tifa.

"Seems like a lot of this just doesn't make any sense." said Aeris as she scratch her head while thinking deeply. "What about Jenova? We all saw it in the Shinra building, isn't it?"

"Shinra company must have taken it out of Nibelheim's mako reactor and shipped it to Midgar." Cloud told her.

"Did someone else carry it out after that?" said Aeris further. "It was missing from the Shinra building."

"…Could it be Sephiroth?" Tifa suggested.

"Most probably, Tifa." said Laina, agreeing with her. "We all saw and followed the trail of blood all the way up to the president's office, saw Sephiroth's sword on his back and Palmer further confirmed that he saw him murdered the president with his own eyes when we catch him."

"So, Sephiroth is really back?" said Tifa with fear in her voice now.

"… Yeah." answered both Cloud and Angelina grimly.

"Damn! Don't none of this make any sense!" spluttered Barret as he waved his arms above him head again. "I'm going, going, going and gone! And I'm leavin' the thinkin' to you all!" said Barret out loud to the others before he walked swiftly away from them, went down the stairs and out of the inn.

"Oh, brother…" muttered Cloud in a small voice to himself as he lowered his head and shake it.

"Cloud, Angie…?" said Tifa to both Cloud and Angelina as she approach them and they glance over at her. "How bad was my wound when Sephiroth slash me?"

"Angie and I… we both thought and feared that you were a goner." Cloud admitted.

"The both of us were… really afraid and sad that time." Angelina admitted.

"…" mumbled Tifa quietly to herself while lowering her head to stared at the floor.

"Why don't you all get some rest now?" Laina told them as she stood up from the chair she sitting on. "Because starting tomorrow, our journey's going to be quite long and hard."

"Laina's right, everyone." said Kunsel in agreement with her as he stood up as well. "So you all get some rest now."

Immediately everyone (except Barret, who not here with them) began to feel weariness seeped into their bodies and minds and they all nodded weakly to both Laina and Kunsel before they went to each of the beds on the second floor of the inn and fell asleep on it. Once both Laina and Kunsel were sure that everyone's deeply asleep, they went down the stairs, out of the inn and walk toward and into a quiet, narrow alleyway.

"Alright, Laina. Out with it now." said Kunsel in a firm tone to Laina. "What really happened to you, Zack and Sephiroth when you three got sent to Nibelheim along with those four infantrymens? Because I don't believe a single word those two just said to us and I want to hear it from you!"

Laina close her eyes, sighed deeply before opening them and she turned to glance at him. "You want to hear the truth from me, Kunsel? As you wish then. Parts of the story which both Cloud and Angelina just said to us are true, however…"

Laina then repeated the entire story to Kunsel, without cutting out any small details of it. Kunsel listens to her version of her story and his face immediately change from uncomfortable to grim, to anger, to shocked and finally to sadness/pity.

"… And there you have it, Kunsel. The truth." Laina finished telling him.

"Dear Gaia…" said Kunsel as he placed his hand on his forehead. "All the things you've gone through, like becoming a test subject without permission, hunted down by the Turks, Shinra army and Genesis, fighting and winning against Genesis, watched Director Lazard died, leave Banora, arrived near Midgar and watched Zack died then went into Midgar with those two and joined up with AVALANCHE…"

"…Yeah." said Laina, sounding very weary now.

"And all this time, I thought that you and Zack…" Kunsel began saying then trailed off. "… Do you missed him, Laina?"

"… Very much so, Kunsel." said Laina sadly. "And it hurts me inside when I heard both Cloud and Angelina's story just now."

"If it hurts you that much then why didn't you stopped them both from saying it out?" Kunsel yelled at her.

"Because I can't, Kunsel!" Laina yelled back at him and he flinched from her yelling. "Because if I do that, both their minds might not be able to take it and they might revert back to their mako-poisoning/catatonic state!"

Laina lapsed into silence and tears began to came out of Laina's eyes and fell down her cheeks. Laina closed her eyes, wiped her tears away and she suddenly felt Kunsel's arms around her as he pulled her in for a comforting hug.

"That was cruel of me, Laina. I'm sorry." Kunsel apologized to her. "And please don't hit me for hugging you, Laina. Because it's a friend's hug and I know that you need it now."

Laina shed some more tears due to Kunsel's kindness (which soaked his shirt slightly) before she wiped her tears away again, calm herself down then pull away from Kunsel's arms.

"Thank you, Kunsel." Laina said to him in a small voice before both she and Kunsel walked out of the alleyway, went back into the inn, went up the stairs to the second floor and they proceed to fell asleep on each of their beds.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Leaving Kalm, getting Chocobos, heading into Mythril Mines and meeting the Turks**

After the group had enough rest/sleep inside "Merlot" inn, they all woke up, freshen themselves up before they headed for the stairs and went down to the ground floor. Once they're all on the ground floor of the inn (where the innkeeper and his assistant watched them all with nervousness on their faces and eyes), both Barret and Tifa told the others that they are going to buy and gathered some provisions for their journey (and also pursuing Sephiroth). Cloud, Angelina and Laina nodded to them and they watched as both Barret and Tifa left the inn. Once they're both gone, the group split up into various corners of the ground floor of the inn and waited for their return.

"Hey, Cloud." Angelina's voice called out to him and he glance up and saw her standing before him and holding some kind of thin, black device thing in her right hand. "Take this."

"A "PHS"?" said Cloud to Angelina with a frown look on his face.

"Barret told her to give one to you, Cloud." Laina told him as she approach the two of them. "He also said that this "PHS" will put us in constant contact with each other."

"Good thinking, at least." muttered Cloud as he put the "PHS" into his left pocket. "Once Barret and Tifa returned with the provisions/supplies, we're leaving Kalm immediately."

Angelina, Laina, Aeris, Kunsel and Red XIII all looked at him and nodded. A few seconds later, both Barret and Tifa return with provisions/supplies in their hands and they distribute the provisions/supplies to each of them before they all left the inn and went outside.

"Listen to me!" said a man's voice suddenly and Cloud, Angelina and the others all turned their heads and saw the man who just spoke loudly is standing near the entrance of Kalm and attracting quite a few people to him. "Just now, I saw some long, silver-haired guy wearing a long, black cloak headed east towards that grassy field. He's got this really long, dangerous-looking sword and he looks scary…"

Cloud, Angelina and the others heard what the man just said and they all looked at each other with surprised/shocked looks on their faces.

"D-Did he just say he saw a long, silver-haired guy wearing a long, black cloak?" said Tifa nervously.

"He did. We all heard it." said Kunsel grimly.

"It must be Sephiroth. It's gotta be him." said Angelina while she approach Tifa and patted her shoulder to calm her down.

"He's heading east towards the grassy field, huh?" said Cloud as he crossed his arms and tapped his right foot thoughtfully.

"Well, what're we all waiting for?" said Barret suddenly to them. "Let's hurry and go now!"

Without hesitating/waiting, the group immediately left through the entrance into Kalm, turned to their left and headed east. They walked past a large green valley which lies between two sets of mountains (the mountain to their left is light brown in colour with a river flowing out of it straight towards the ocean while the one to their right is dark green in colour). Along the way, the group had to fight several monsters (Elfadunk, Levrikon, Mandragora and Mu) who got in their way. Once they've dealt with the monsters (and they level up and Tifa gained a new limit break named "Somersault"), they resumed their walk, emerged from the valley and into the bright green, open plains called the "Choco Plains" (a safe place where big, yellow birds called Chocobos were free to eat, drink, rest and breed without any threat from hungry/vicious monsters). As they entered the plains, they saw several Chocobos walking or running around like they had expected (the Chocobos immediately scampered away when they noticed Cloud and his group). They also spotted a house with a farm (named Chocobo Ranch), a tower with a well next to it and a stable house near it deep in the middle of the plains.

When Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others behind them approach the farm deep in the middle of the plains, they saw a total of six Chocobos walking around inside a large wooden pen, enjoying the sunlight shining down on them.

"Wark!" one of the six Chocobos suddenly turned and squawked at Cloud and his group as they walked near the pen. They all stopped in their tracks, turned and looked at the Chocobo, who's now walking toward them and sticking its head over the wooden bar toward one of their group, which is Cloud. "Wark? Wark, wark? Wark?"

"What is it?" Cloud asked the Chocobo, confused by the Chocobo sudden interest in him.

"Wark, wark!" squawked the Chocobo again.

"Cloud, why don't you try "warking" back to it?" suggested Laina.

"What?" said Cloud as he glance at Laina, baffled by her suggestion.

"Just do it, Cloud." said Angelina.

Cloud glance away from Laina to Angelina then back to the Chocobo, who's now stamping its left feet on the grassy ground in the pen while it flicked its head back and forth, demanding an answer impatiently.

Cloud scratched the back of his head and answered the Chocobo. "…Wark."

Immediately after he said that, all five of the Chocobos walking around inside the wooden pen fell silent (including the one near the group) and Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others stared at the now silent Chocobos in confusion. The next second, all six of the Chocobos began to dance a peculiar and cute dance before them, which surprises them now. The six Chocobos bobbed their heads, fluttered their feathery wings, jumped up from the grassy ground and landed daintily back onto the grassy ground again.

A few seconds later, the six Chocobos ended their peculiar/cute dance and they returned to what they were doing before the dance, as though nothing had happened, except for the Chocobo who's still standing near the group and looking at them. It squawked happily at Cloud before it turned its head around backward, dipped its head low on its back, take something round, red and shiny out from its back, turned its head back to the group, flicked the round, red and shiny object carefully through the bars of the wooden pen at Cloud before it turned and walked away. Cloud caught the thing the Chocobo just flicked into his hands and he looked down at it (same goes for the others).

"What is that thing which the Chocobo just gave to you, Cloud?" Tifa asked him.

"That's a summon materia he's holding in his hands, Tifa." Laina answered Tifa's question. "They're very useful materia which can allowed us to summoned strong eidolons for help. If we use it correctly, that is."

Cloud nodded at what Laina just said before he turned to glance at Angelina and gave the summon materia (which is Choco/Mog materia) to her. She take it (while giving him a small smile) and put it into her right pocket. The group then turned left, walked away from the wooden pen with the Chocobos walking around inside toward the main house of the Chocobo ranch. They saw that the door's wide open and they could hear the sounds of two people talking inside the house. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel went through the opened door into the house while the others decided to wait outside for them.

Once Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel were inside the house, they saw an elderly man with a round, slightly wrinkled face, brown-coloured eyes, a grey beard with slightly messy grey hair on his head, wearing a light grey T-shirt with long, dark brown trousers is talking to a young guy with short, wavy black hair, a round face with the same brown-coloured eyes like the elderly man (probably his son or grandson) and wearing a white T-shirt with long, dark blue trousers in the dining room/kitchen.

"Grandpa, we have some visitors." said the young guy to his grandfather when he looked up and noticed Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel standing silently behind his grandfather in the dining room/kitchen, staring at them. The elderly man ceased talking to his grandson and turned around to glance at them.

"Well, it's not everyday that we get some visitors out here in the plains." said the old man. "Hello there, young ones. The name's Bill and this here's my grandson, Jared." the old man named Bill greeted them both to Cloud and the others.

"Hello." Kunsel greeted back while Cloud, Angelina and Laina continue remained silent.

"So why are you all here for?" Bill asked them. "Could it be that you four are thinking about crossing the marshes?"

Cloud blinked then turned his head to stared at the others with him (who nodded) before he glance back at Bill. "Yeah, I guess we are." replied Cloud.

"Hmmm, then it'll probably be safer for you young ones to get a Chocobo." Bill told them with a nod of his head. "That way you young ones can zip through the marshes safely with the Chocobo. It's the only way to avoid being attacked and eaten by the Midgar Zolom."

"Midgar Zolom…?" said Cloud with a confused look on his face.

"What's that?" Angelina asked Bill.

"You two don't know about it?" said Jared as he glance at Cloud and Angelina with a disbelief look on his face and both Cloud and Angelina shook their heads. "Midgar Zolom is a serpent-like monster over 30 feet tall!" exclaimed Jared slightly loudly. "It picks up on footsteps of any humans, chocobos and minor monsters that entered the marshes… And then, BAM! It attacks!" Jared's last five words startled both Cloud and Angelina a little.

"If any of you want to avoid that, you need to buy a chocobo at our farm." Bill told them.

"But unfortunately for you all, we're all out of chocobos now." said Jared, lowering his voice now.

"What do you mean by that?" said Laina as she glance at Jared. "You two still have some chocobos outside in the wooden pen."

"Those in the wooden pen belongs to other people." Jared told her. "And we're helping to take care for them until their owners come for them."

"But if you young ones still want a Chocobo, why don't you all go out to the plains and catch some yourselves?" Bill suggested to them. "Do you young ones want to know how to catch one?"

"How do we catch one?" Angelina asked him.

"First, you need a "Chocobo Lure" materia. If you don't have it equip on you, no Chocobos would dare to approach you, for they're very cautious animals by nature. And whatever you young ones do, don't make them angry. For they would take a chunk of flesh out of you if you do so." Bill told her. "Also, you young ones need to have some Gysahl Greens. They're Chocobos favourite food and you all need to feed them some to prevent them from bolting away before you catch them. Of course Gysahl Greens aren't the only greens Chocobos like. We have a variety of greens here but Gysahl Greens is the cheapest we have here in "Bill's Chocobo Ranch". Only 20 gil each."

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel glance at each other for a few seconds then they decided to buy the "Chocobo Lure" materia (which is pale pink in colour) and some Gysahl, Curiel and Mimett Greens from both Bill and Jared. After they bought them, they turned around, headed out of the house to the others waiting outside, explained to Tifa, Aeris, Barret and Red XIII about what both Bill and Jared just told them before all eight of them walked away from the farm out to the Choco plains.

"How many do you think we should catch, Cloud?" Tifa asked Cloud as she glance at the Chocobos, who's now watching them warily.

"We'll need to catch at least four Chocobos just to get us across the marsh without bumping into the Midgar Zolom." replied Cloud as he glance at the Chocobos as well. "One for me and Angie, one for Laina and Kunsel, one for Tifa and Aeris and one for Barret and Red XIII…"

"That won't be necessary for me, Cloud." said Red XIII suddenly, cutting off Cloud's words. "I'm able to run as fast as a Chocobo across the marshes while avoiding the Midgar Zolom."

"Alright then, Red XIII." said Cloud with a nod of his head to Red XIII before he and his group advanced slowly toward the Chocobos (all of them with some Greens in their hands, except for Red XIII). After a few minutes of them giving the Greens out to the Chocobos to feed, distracted and pacify them enough for them to climb and ride on them, they managed to do it and now all seven of them are sitting/riding on four of the Chocobos. Once the group were ready, they move/turned the Chocobos around at the direction of the marshes (which is below the dark green mountains), headed toward it and stopped just before they could stepped into it. Cloud and his group saw that the water of the marshes is very pale green in colour and parts of it is covered/filled with large, overgrown weeds and dead-looking trees (they also saw the large form of the serpent named Midgar Zolom as it swim/slither around under the pale water of the marshes, which make Barret's widened his eyes a little). The group then moved the Chocobos which they're sitting/riding on forward and the Chocobos complied before they run straight into the marshes (which immediately make the Midgar Zolom chase them but unable to catch them) until they reached the dry patch of ground with the cave entrance into the Mythril mines located at the foot of the mountain before them and Cloud and his group saw a terrible sight before them (after they all dismounted from the Chocobos they're sitting/riding on and let them ran through the marshes back to the Choco plains). Right in front of them with its body pierced through (and in an upright position) by the large, sharp and tall tree under it was another 30 feet Midgar Zolom serpent. It's limp head with its lifeless eyes hung behind it, its mouth wide open to reveal its sharp, serrated teeths with blood flowing out of its mouth and dripping onto the ground. More of its blood flowed out of the place where its body got pierced through by the sharp tree, down the sharp tree onto the ground as well (while lightning boomed out in the distance sky above them).

"Did Sephiroth… really did this…?" Angelina asked aloud as she glance up at the lifeless corpse of the Midgar Zolom.

"Yes, he did, Angie." Cloud answered her question grimly.

"This Sephiroth guy's pretty strong, I'd say." said Barret.

"Very much so." said Kunsel.

"Amazing…" gasped Tifa in fear and awed at the terrible sight before her.

"The person we're pursuing is someone who's capable of doing this?" asked Aeris with a pale look on her face.

"This is nothing to Sephiroth, Aeris." said Laina. "Don't you remember what he did to those Shinra employees and the president back at Shinra company?"

Laina's words make Aeris recalled what Sephiroth did back at Shinra company and a sudden wave of fear/dread/nausea rises within her mind and soul, making her step a few feet away from the group, turned her back to avoid looking at the Midgar Zolom corpse and kneel down near the ground. Laina watched her go and instantly regret saying those words to Aeris and she turned around and went toward her, intending to apologize to her.

"I'm sorry for saying that, Aeris." said Laina apologetically to Aeris. "I won't say it again."

Aeris turned her head to looked up at Laina for a few seconds then a small smile appear on Aeris's face and she nodded to Laina, accepting her apology before she stood up and both of them returned back to the group.

"It's a power that we should respect…" both Aeris and Laina heard Red XIII said when they returned back to the group. After both Aeris and Laina returned to them, Cloud and his group glance away from the Midgar Zolom corpse, went through the cave entrance and into the Mythril mines.

Once Cloud and his group are inside the Mythril mines, they looked around and saw that every rocky wall, crook, cranny, path and ledge within the mines had been deprived of most of the Mythril by the miners who came to dig for them, with only faint traces of Mythril within some of them while others are just plain, old rocks. Cloud and his group then turned and walked to their left, saw a rocky staircase before them with some items lying on it (Long Range materia, Ether and a Tent) and they took the items with them before they turned around, went back the way they came and walked to their right now. They walked through a short maze of rocky walls (along the way, the group fight some Castanets, Crawlers, Madouges and Ark dragon monsters) until they came out of it and found themselves at the very back of the Mythril mine/cave where to their surprise, a huge tree had grow and spread its roots all over the rocky walls and floors in the Mythril mines. While they were all looking at the roots of the huge tree, they failed to notice Rude standing a few feet to their left in front of them (with sunlight shining in from the Mythril mine/cave exit on the ledge above him).

"Just a second!" Rude's voice called out loud to them and they turned their glances away from the tree roots and saw him.

"Wh, who are you?" said Barret as he scowled darkly at Rude.

"That's Rude, Barret. From the Turks." said Laina, answering Barret's question as she glance at Rude. "Nice to see you again, Rude, by the way."

Rude nodded to her. "You're correct, Laina Donovan. Now that you all know who I am, I guess this won't take too long. It's quite difficult to explain to you all on what the Turks do…"

"Like kidnapping people and destroying Sector 7, right?" said Cloud as he crossed his arms.

"To put it negatively… you could say that." said Rude coldly and somberly while he lowered his head to stared at the ground. "…But, that's not all there is to it, anymore."

"And what do you mean by that?" said Tifa with a frown look on her face.

Rude glance up at her, about to open his mouth to say something to them but he didn't and fell silent instead.

"Sir!" an unfamiliar woman's voice called out to Rude, causing Rude and Cloud and his group to turned and lifted their heads to glance up at the young woman standing on the opposite higher ledge above them. They saw that this woman had short, shoulder-length blonde hair that was swept to one side, brown-coloured eyes on her round, determined/fierce-looking face and wearing the same black uniform that Rude, Reno, Crisis, Phemie and Tseng all wore.

"It's all right, Rude!" the woman said out loud to him. "I know you dislike speeches so don't force yourself to say it!"

"… Then Elena, you explain." Rude told her.

The Turk woman named Elena nodded to Rude before she turned her determined/fierce glance on Cloud and his group and began talking to them.

"I'm the newest member of the Turks, Elena. And thanks to what you people did to both Reno and Crisis, we're currently short on people. Although because of that, I was instantly promoted into the Turks…"

"Like we give a damn about that!" said Barret out loud in an angry tone of voice to Elena.

Elena ignored Barret's angry words. "In any case, our job is to find out where Sephiroth is headed. And to try to stop you people every step of the way."

"Elena…" said Rude with a shake of his head.

"The heck she's talking about?" said Barret as he glance at Cloud and the others (who shrugged their shoulders) with a bewildered look on his face.

"Wait a minute…" said Elena as she turned to looked away from them before she raised her hand to scratch the back of her head. "It's the other way around, you guys are the ones that are getting in our way."

"… Elena, you talk too much." said Tseng's voice as he walked through the exit into the Mythril mine/cave, with Phemie following behind him silently.

"Mr. Tseng!? And Miss Phemie!" exclaimed Elena in surprise and embarrassment as she, Rude and Cloud and his group immediately turned around to glance up at both Tseng and Phemie.

"There's no need for you to tell these people about our orders." Tseng told her in a reprimanding tone of voice.

"I'm sorry… Tseng." said Elena sheepishly, lowering her head.

"Didn't Tseng just gave you and Rude another order, Elena?" Phemie told her as she glance at both Rude and Elena. "Now go, you two. And don't forget to file both your reports."

" _Glad to know and see that you've become a little stronger shortly after you left Shinra company, Phemie."_ thought Laina with an inner smile as she glance at Phemie.

"Right away! Miss Phemie!" replied Elena a little excitedly as she raised her head to glance at Phemie and saluted formerly to her. "Rude and I will now go after Sephiroth, who's heading toward "Junon Harbor"!"

In Cloud's group, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris chuckled lightly at Elena's mistake while Laina raised her left eyebrow in slight amusement. As for Rude, Phemie and Tseng, both Rude and Phemie lowered and shake their heads at Elena while Tseng sighed and glared lightly at her.

"… Elena. You don't seem to understand." said Tseng.

Elena glance down at Tseng (and both Rude and Phemie), confused as to why all three of them are shaking their heads and glaring lightly at her. She then recalled the exact words she just said out loud and she lowered her head in embarrassment again. "Oh! I'm, I'm so sorry… I did it again…"

"… Just go already, both of you." Tseng said to them. "Don't let Sephiroth get away."

"Yes sir!" said both Rude and Elena together. Elena turned to her left and climbed down a long tree root attached tightly against the left side of the ledge she's standing on while Rude climbed up onto the ledge where both Tseng and Phemie were standing, about to walked past them and through the mine/cave exit when he suddenly stopped in his tracks, remembered something before turning around to glance at Cloud and his group.

"… Reno said that he wanted to see you after the injuries you gave to him is healed." Rude told Cloud and his group, looking specifically at Laina. "He wants to show his affection for you all… with a brand new weapon." Rude finished his talk then turned around, walked past both Tseng and Phemie and through the cave/mine exit.

"Well then…" said Tseng as he glance down at Cloud and his group and his gaze stopped on Aeris, who's standing between Laina and Kunsel. "Aeris… Long time no see. Looks like you managed to get away from Shinra company now that Sephiroth has reappeared."

"So what are you implying?" said Aeris sternly as she glance up at Tseng angrily. "Are you saying that I should be grateful to Sephiroth?"

"Of course not." said Tseng, sounding a little sad. "Well, I won't be seeing very much of you, so take care, Aeris."

"…Strange, hearing you say that to me after all these years." Aeris said to him.

Tseng smirked at her and both he and Phemie turned around, about to leave. But before they could, Angelina's voice called out to Phemie.

"Wait a minute, Phemie Donovan!" said Angelina out loud to Phemie, who turned back to glance at her. "Why are you leaving your own older sister behind again? Shouldn't you stayed with her, no matter what? Aren't you her only family?"

"Angelina, stop it. She make her choice already. It matters no more to me." said Laina as she glance at Angelina with a "drop-the-subject" look on her face (while Phemie flinch with inner pain at hearing Laina's words).

"No, Laina. Of course it does matter to you!" said Angelina, denying Laina's words. "So why are you on their side, Phemie Donovan? Answer me!"

"What happened between me and my older sister is just between us both only." Phemie told Angelina coldly (which make Angelina flinch a little) while narrowing her eyes at her. "So outsiders like you should stay out of it." Phemie glance away from Angelina to Laina, stared at her for a few seconds before both she and Tseng left through the cave/mine exit, away from them.

Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel and the others stared at Laina with sad/pity looks on their faces until Laina told them to wipe their sad/pity looks away (which they did) before they all climb up part of the tree root near the ledge where the cave/mine is, went through it and finally stepped out of the Mythril mines.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Heading to Fort Condor Mako Reactor and meeting Yuffie Kisaragi**

After Cloud and his group stepped out of the exit of Mythril mines, they saw a Shinra helicopter flying off in the blue sky away from the Mythril mines, headed in the direction to Junon Harbor. Cloud and his group looked away from the distance flying helicopter and walked across the grassy ground outside and away from the mines toward a huge fort building standing in the middle of Condor Plains (which turns out to be another of Shinra company mako reactor called Fort Condor) nearby Junon Harbor with a huge, brown Condor bird sleeping at the top of the reactor with a huge bronze-coloured egg in front of it (Barret, Kunsel, Tifa and Aeris widened their eyes in shocked when they saw how big the Condor bird and its single egg is). After they see enough of the huge Condor bird sleeping at the top of the reactor, Cloud and his group went nearer toward Fort Condor and they soon saw the dusty, cramped reactor entrance into Fort Condor where a bald-headed, tan-skinned man wearing a grey singlet with matching long pants is standing guard outside the reactor entrance.

"Who goes there?" said the tan-skinned man sternly to Cloud and his group of friends when he saw them. "Identify yourselves!"

"We're members of AVA…" Barret began saying to the tan-skinned man and his words was abruptly cut off by Laina, who jabbed his left rib with her elbow, hard. "What was that for, woman?" Barret hissed at her.

"Be quiet, you." Laina hissed back at him. "Let Cloud do the talking."

Cloud glance over his shoulder and gave her a grateful look before he turned his head back to glance at the tan-skinned man (while Barret grumbled and scowled darkly at both Laina and Cloud).

"Well?" demanded the tan-skinned man in an impatient voice. "Identify yourselves and state your business here in Fort Condor!"

"Listen, we mean you no harm." said Cloud in a calming tone of voice to the tan-skinned man when the tan-skinned man's cautious/suspicious gaze looked over each of Cloud's group with their swords, staff, naginata, fighter's gloves and gun-arm behind their backs and on their arms/hands. "We've journeyed from the Mythril mines and now we're slightly exhausted and needed a place to stay and rest for one night."

"Travellers, huh?" scoffed the tan-skinned man. "Sounds like a bunch of bollocks words to me. Tell me, stranger. Have you or any of you friends seen or fought in combat against Shinra before?" the tan-skinned man asked Cloud.

"Some of us did." replied Cloud.

"Then that means you and your group are the same as us." said the tan-skinned man, looking less suspicious of them now. "For we've been fighting against the Shinra for quite a long time at this battlefield. Even now, we're still settled in for another long war with them."

"Why's that?" asked Angelina with a tilt of her head.

"It's better if you all came in and talked to Mr Marcus. He will tell you all the details even better than I do. Besides, you did say that you're all slightly exhausted and needed a place to rest, isn't it?" said the tan-skinned man before he turned around and went into reactor entrance without waiting for them. Cloud and his group then swiftly went into the reactor entrance after him and saw a rocky ledge in front of them with a long rope dangling down at the edge of the ledge above them (worn-looking yet strong enough to hold their weights).

Cloud and his group then grabbed and climbed up the rope one by one until they reach at the top of the ledge, stood up and looked around, saw that they are within a second small and cramped cave with a wooden ladder in front of them, attached against the rocky wall at the edge of the ledge above them. They all climbed up the ladder until they reach at the top of it, stood up, looked around and this time saw that they're inside a slightly large cave-like room with several rusted-looking huge pipes attached against the dirt wall to their right, an old yet obsolete-looking grey-coloured stone well with a small crane hanging above it near the edge of the ledge with the ladder hanging down the edge of it (which they just climbed up), light bulbs with faint, yellow lights in them against the wall close to the dirt ceiling in various corners in the room, two round-shaped holes with two ladders in them which the people of Fort Condor used to climb up into different rooms and several wooden, round-shaped tables (where the people of Fort Condor sit to converse in groups or just simply relaxed while sitting there) where a single man in his early forties with short, grey hair and wearing a light brown shirt with matching long pants and brown shoes was sitting on a chair near one of the wooden, round-shaped tables. Cloud and his group approach the man at the same time the man glance over his shoulder to see them and gave them a small smile.

"Well, well, this is something…" said the man. "It's not everyday that I get to see several people like you all who could actually climbed up here."

"You are…?" asked Aeris.

"Oh, pardon me, miss. Allow me to introduce myself." said the man. "My name's Marcus. Leader of the Fort Condor Resistance."

Aeris nodded to Marcus and then Cloud and his group proceeded to introduced themselves to Marcus (who nodded while leaning his head slightly forward to inspect Cloud, Angelina and Laina).

"You three… your eyes are different." said Marcus in an intrigued tone of voice.

"They've been infused with Mako, Marcus." Laina told him. "For we three are ex-SOLDIERS."

"Ex-SOLDIERS, huh? No wonder…" murmured Marcus. "Well, anyhow. Randy (the tan-skinned guy's name) told me that you people are exhausted and looking for a place to rest for today, is it?"

"Yes, that's right." said Angelina with a nod of her head.

Marcus nodded to Angelina then turned in his chair in the direction of one of the round-shaped holes against the wall slightly far to his left and called out for someone to come. A few seconds later, Cloud and his group saw a young, short brown-haired guy wearing a white singlet with long grey pants came climbing down the ladder, walked through the round-shaped hole and toward Marcus, who whisper some words to the young guy who nodded before he turned around, went up a small wooden staircase, went toward another round-shaped hole on the ground to his left (and in front of them) and climbed down the ladder and out of their sight.

"While you all waited for the rooms to be prepared, why don't you all come sit down with me and listen to what I have to say?" Marcus told them.

Cloud and his group nodded to Marcus before they took their seats on either side of Marcus ( Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel on his left, Barret, Tifa and Aeris on his right with Red XIII lying down on the ground by Tifa and Aeris feet).

"We heard from the man named Randy just now that you people here are at war with Shinra." said Aeris. "Why is that?"

"It because of what's at the top of this mountain." said Marcus sadly and uneasily. "Surely you people saw and knows what sits and sleep at the top of it?"

"Do you mean the Mako reactor and the huge Condor bird with its single egg?" said Angelina with a frown look on her face.

"That is one humongous bird, all right." said Kunsel with awed in his eyes.

"I can see that you're quite perceptive, young man." said Marcus as he glance at Angelina with an approved grin on his face. "Yes, you're exactly correct, young man. It's a Mako reactor and a Condor bird. It seems that Shinra company dislike the idea of a Condor bird sitting/sleeping at the top of one of its reactor and lay its egg there."

"So, that means that Shinra company is trying to get rid of both the Condor bird and its egg with their weapons?" surmised Barret. "But why?"

"What's so wrong with having a huge Condor bird sitting/sleeping on top of this reactor?" said Tifa.

Laina glance at both Barret and Tifa with a "Are-you-two-really-that-dense/ignorant" look on her face while letting out a deep sigh before she glance away from them to Marcus. "Marcus, is there something within this Mako reactor above us that is so important to Shinra company that they would want to get rid of the Condor bird and its egg to ensured that its safe?" Laina asked him.

"Well, yes." said Marcus with a nod to Laina. "It seems that there's a special type of Materia within the Mako reactor above us. And due to the Condor bird came here to rest, lay its egg at the top of the reactor and protect it until it hatch (which only hatch once every few years), Shinra company dispatched their troops and machines here to get all us Fort Condor villagers away from this mountain so they could stormed their way up there to slained them both. We won't allowed it, so we stood our grounds, send our wives and childrens away to Junon Harbor for safety, turned this mountain into an offensive/defensive fortress and barricade ourselves in it. So that the Condor bird and its egg won't be harmed by them."

"New lives…" said Cloud as he lowered his head and crossed his arms.

"We'll do it!" said Barret out loud to Marcus. "We'll protect them both from those Shinra scums!"

"A Condor egg is a real work of Mother Nature." said Tifa, agreeing with Barret. "We've got to protect the life of it, somehow."

"We won't let them be slained by Shinra company." said Angelina, agreeing with both Barret and Tifa.

"I'm quite happy to hear that all of you are willing to help us to protect them. But not right now." said Marcus with a smile on his face. "As you all can see from this place and us, we lacked the ability to fought against Shinra company ourselves. So, we hired some mercenary fighters to aid us and we managed to beat them off and away from this place for now."

"So, you're saying that they won't come back anytime soon?" said Laina. "That it's safe for you Fort Condor people and the Condor bird and its single egg for now?"

"Exactly." replied Marcus.

"I see."

"Awww, sucks." grumbled Barret. "And here I thought that I could kicked some more Shinra's butts…"

"You'll get your chance next time, Barret." said Angelina as she glance at Barret.

At that moment, the young, short brown-haired guy whom Marcus told to prepared the rooms for Cloud and his group came climbing up the ladder, out of the hole in front of them, stood up, turned and walked down the small wooden staircase toward Marcus and whisper something to him. Marcus nodded to him before he dismissed him off (the young, brown-haired guy turned around, went toward the first round-shaped hole and climbed up the ladder, out of their sight), turned to looked at Cloud and his group and told them that their rooms are done preparing. Cloud and his group thanked Marcus for his generosity (mainly Tifa and Aeris only) which make Marcus nodded back to them before they turned around, walked up the small, wooden staircase toward the hole, climbed down the ladder against the wall and into a fairly large room with seven single beds standing on sturdy wooden floorboards and lying side by side around the room. A few seconds later, Cloud and his group went and fell asleep on each of the single beds in the room (except for Red XIII, who lie sleeping on the wooden floor).

XXXX

The next day, Cloud and his group woke up early, climbed up the ladder and out of the room and the round-shaped hole, walked down the small, wooden staircase toward one of the wooden, round-shaped tables, sat down and ate and drank some of the provisions which both Barret and Tifa bought from Kalm village. After their breakfast, Cloud and his group bade goodbye to Marcus (who came to joined them when they had their breakfast) before they went toward the ladder hanging at the edge of the hole near the rusted pipes, climbed down the ladder then climbed down the dangling rope hanging at the edge of the rocky ledge until they reached the bottom, turned around and they went through and out of the reactor entrance.

After Cloud and his group stepped out of Fort Condor, they turned to their left, headed in a straight line toward Junon Harbor and entered a small, green forest (which is near Junon Harbor). As Cloud and his group walked deeper into the forest (and fought some Formulas and Cappawires monsters), none of them were aware that someone is following/stalking them cautiously through the forest until Red XIII suddenly stopped in his tracks and began to looked up and around the forest, sniffing the twitching his ears at the air around him. The person saw Red XIII began to looked around the forest for him and he stayed where he is and held his breath in silence.

"Everyone, wait!" said Red XIII suddenly to Cloud and the others and they all stopped in their tracks and turned around to glance at Red XIII, who's still glancing/listening carefully at the forest around them.

"What's wrong, Red XIII?" Cloud asked him while his hand reached for the handle of his Buster Sword behind him and gripped it (same goes for the others).

"I hear something." replied Red XIII. "We're not alone in this forest. There's someone else here with us."

Cloud and his group heard what Red XIII say and they began to looked around the forest for whoever it is, but they couldn't see, smell or hear anything from the forest. Suddenly, a huge silver-coloured shuriken plus some small black daggers came soaring out of the bushes to their left and headed straight for Aeris at high speed. Aeris was about to raised her arms and the staff she's holding to covered herself from the weapons but she didn't have to as both Angelina and Tifa quickly rushed to her aid and swung/punch the shuriken and black daggers away from her with their naginata and fighter gloves.

"Thanks, Angelina, Tifa." Aeris said to them both gratefully and they nodded to her.

The person who threw the shuriken and black daggers at Aeris seconds ago gritted his teeth with an annoyed look on his face when he saw both women protected her from the weapons he threw out and he decided to show himself to the group and attack them. He came charging out of the bushes from where he just threw the shuriken and black daggers and Cloud and his group all turned around to look at the person who came out and saw that it's a young girl who looked no more than 16 years old. She had short black hair with a dark green-coloured bandanna tied around her forehead and two long strips down the back of her head, dark brown-coloured eyes on her round-shaped face and wearing a thin green-coloured sleeveless turtleneck that exposed her stomach with her entire left arm covered/protected by a long white cloth that acted as a shield which attached to her turtleneck by small hooks around the palm of her left hand and a piece of small armour attached to her shoulder, a small metal armlet on her right wrist and a pair of white-coloured shorts with white, knee-length boots on her legs. A typical outfit of a ninja.

The girl take advantage of the moment when Cloud and his group turned to stared at her and charge toward them, heading straight for Laina with her right hand clench into a tight fist and she swung it up at Laina's face. Laina dodged her uppercut punch, lowered her legs to crouch down on the ground and swung her left leg out from behind the young girl's legs, sending her flying then falling backward on the ground, hard. The young girl winced slightly from her fall and was about to get back up but suddenly found herself floating and hanging upside-down by some invisible force in the air in front of Laina, with Cloud and his group approach and surrounded her from all sides.

"Hey! Let me down!" said the girl as she struggle against the invisible force to let her go to no avail.

"I'll let you down if you promised not to attack us again and apologized to Aeris." said Laina in a slightly cold tone of voice as she glance up at the upside-down ninja girl.

"Alright, fine, lady! I promised that I'll not attack you all again!" said the young girl as she glared down at Laina before turning her head to glance at Aeris. "And I'm sorry for throwing those weapons at you!"

"Apology accepted." said Aeris.

Laina then released the girl from her "Telekinesis" and they watched as she fell down to the ground for the second time then the girl slowly stood up and brushed some dirt off of her clothes. She glance at each of them for a while before a wide, sneaky grin appear on her face and she suddenly run away from Laina toward Tifa and Aeris, zipped past between them, snatched the fire and thunder materia away from the slot holes of their fighter gloves and staff and ran into the forest. Both Tifa and Aeris checked their fighter gloves and staff, saw that both of their materia had been stolen by the girl and quickly told the others about it. The group then charge into the forest after her. The girl was quite fast as she ran through the forest to shake off her pursuers, using the forest overhanging branches and bushes to her advantage, but not for long as Cloud finally caught up to her, fought against her for a short while and defeated her easily (also causing her to fall backward again onto the ground). After Cloud had defeated her, the rest of his group found them both and joined up with them (Tifa and Aeris approach the girl, take back their fire and thunder materia and returned to the others).

"Oh man… I can't believe that I've lose…" said the girl quietly to herself before she sat up, shook her head a little then stood up and jumped a few feet to the left, away from Cloud and his group. "You spiky-headed jerk!" the girl yelled at Cloud as she glared at him angrily. "One more time, let's go one more time!"

"Not interested." said Cloud bluntly, shaking his head.

The girl glared at Cloud and his group some more before she ran into the middle of the group and began to air-punch each of them (which make both Laina and Kunsel rolled their eyes and both Aeris and Angelina to chuckled lightly). "Thinkin' of running away, huh?" said the girl sarcastically to Cloud and his group. "Stay and fight! FIGHT, I said, all of you!"

The girl then approach Cloud and began to air-punch him while he stared at her in annoyed silence.

"C'mon… What's the matter, you spiky-headed jerk?" said the girl. "You're pretty scared of me, huh!?"

"…Petrified." said Cloud sarcastically to the girl.

The girl smiled smugly at his answer and she jumped a few feet to the right away from them. "Hmmm, just as I thought. What do you people expect with my superior skills?" said the girl smugly, acting as though she didn't just had her ass kicked by Cloud. "Well, best of luck to you guys. If any of you feel like it, we can go another round another time. Later!"

The girl turned and began to run forward but she suddenly stopped and turned back around to glance at them. "I'm really gonna leave! REALLY!" the girl told them.

Cloud glance over his shoulder at the others, saw some of them nodded their heads (Laina, Angelina, Aeris and Tifa) to him and he turned his head back to look at the girl, who's still standing and staring at them.

"Wait a second!" Cloud called out to her.

"What is it, spiky-headed jerk, you still have somethin' for me?" the girl asked Cloud and he nodded. "…Hmmm, so is that it? I know you guys want my help because I'm so good! You guys want me to go with you?"

"… That's right." replied Cloud (which make Barret sagged his shoulder and Kunsel groaned in dismay).

"Heh heh, thought so." said the girl with a huge smug grin on her face. "You put me in a spot. Hmm, what should I do? But if you want me that bad, I can't just refuse…" the girl turned her back to them, close her eyes and began pondering. Seconds later she opened her eyes and turned back to look at Cloud and his group. "All right! I've made up my mind! I'll go with you all!"

"…Good, let's hurry on then." Cloud said to the girl and to the others behind him before he and the others turned around and began to walked away through the forest.

"Huh? Hey…HEY!" the girl called out to them as she ran after them and had to stopped to picked up her shuriken and black daggers which lies on the ground. "I haven't told you guys my name yet! It's Yuffie Kisaragi! Good to meetcha!"

The group didn't replied back to her and they didn't saw her turning around and began rubbing her hands together with a sneaky look on her face.

"Heh heh… just as I planned." Yuffie snickered quietly to herself. "Now all I have to do is… a little of this… and a little of that to them… nyuk, nyuk, nyuk…"

Yuffie quit her snickering, turned around and saw that they've already walked far ahead of her through the forest. "Hey, wait up! Wait for me, you guys!" Yuffie called out to them as she quickly ran after them.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Heading to Junon, meeting Priscilla and battle against Bottomswell**

After Cloud and his group met the young girl named Yuffie Kisaragi (who ambushed, attacked and stole Tifa and Aeris materia) in the forest near Junon and asked her to joined them (which make both Barret and Kunsel unhappy), they soon left the forest and headed on toward the port town of Junon in the far west of the continent. As Cloud and his group walked through the entrance of Junon and looked around the place, they saw that the place wasn't like it used to be. The town of Junon used to be a busy port town filled with many fishermen, traders, merchants and all kinds of travellers who came to and from the continent until Shinra came and build a large city against a huge rocky cliff above it to house one of their ever-expanding company.

After Shinra built the large city (made entirely of metal) against the huge rocky cliff above Junon, it practically blocked off most of the bright sunlight from shining down on Junon, rendering the once happy, light and busy street of Junon into a dark, quiet, desolate and lonely place. Most of the quaint-looking shops and houses down here had been boarded up and left behind by their owners who left Junon for a better place to live (mostly young people while their parents and grandparents were unable to leave Junon due to them unable to afford enough gil to move away) while the shops business above Junon continues to thrive, their owners oblivious or don't care about the state of Junon and its people below them. The only way for anyone who wanted to head up to the upper city of Junon is by the elevator that was built against the concrete wall at the far right end of the town but it's being guarded by one Shinra security guard so going up there is impossible. It reminded Cloud and his group (except for Yuffie) of the lower slums town under Midgar city.

"What happened to this town?" said Cloud as he glance around the place with a sad/pity look on his face. "It's so run-down…"

"All this poor elderly people…" said Aeris sadly as she glance at the elderly people who wandered around the town.

"Goddamn Shinra company!" Barret cursed out.

"…" said both Laina and Kunsel in silence.

As Cloud and his group continue glancing around the town and its elderly people, they didn't noticed an elderly woman wearing a faded red cotton shirt with long white pants and brown slippers coming out of her house to their left, saw them and blinked her eyes in surprise. "Well now, this is such a rare surprise." said the elderly woman in a croaking tone of voice as she slowly approach Cloud and his group (which startled Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Aeris and Barret when they heard her suddenly talked to them). "We elderly folks almost never had anyone other than those arrogant Shinra people coming to this place. So what brings you young people here to Junon?"

"We're…uh… looking for a man with long silver hair, wearing an entire black outfit and carrying a long sword." Cloud told the elderly woman while he glance apprehensively at the others. "Have you seen someone like that coming here recently?"

"A man with long silver hair, wearing an entire black outfit and carrying a long sword? Hmmm…" said the elderly woman as she closed her eyes, thinking for a moment then opened her eyes to glance at them and slowly shook her head. "Sorry, haven't seen a person like that lately."

"Really?" said Cloud with a disappointed sigh.

"Maybe he's somewhere above us in Upper Junon, Cloud. We just need to find another way to go up instead of using that elevator over there, guarded by a Shinra security guard." Angelina whisper to him and he nodded to her before they bade goodbye to the elderly woman and they headed past her deep into the town, turned to their left and went down a concrete staircase toward the beach.

When Cloud and his group stepped off the stairs onto the beach, they saw that the water of the ocean near the beach had become quite polluted (due to the Mako reactor built on the city above Junon), with hardly any fishes left with a large red-coloured electric tower built and positioned in the middle of the ocean water in front of them and rising all the way up to the city above. They also saw a small, black-haired girl about 7 or 8 years old and wearing a pink one-piece swimsuit was standing on the beach near the water, gazing out into it.

"He-y! Mr Dolphin!" the small girl called out to something in the ocean and Cloud and his group saw (to their astonishment), a blue dolphin swam through the polluted water (as though it doesn't care about it) toward the girl, popping its head out of the water to stared at her. The small girl smiled happily when she saw it.

"My name is… Pri-scil-la!" the small girl named Priscilla told the dolphin. "Now you say it."

The dolphin emitted a sequence of happy clicks to Priscilla before it jumped high up through the air and dived back into the water again.

"Woah." said Angelina with slight awed in her violet eyes.

"Look at that." said Tifa, amazed.

"It's amazin'." said Barret admiringly. "I ain't never seen any dolphins jumped like that."

Priscilla heard what they say and she turned around to glance at Cloud and his group with suspicion in her hazel-coloured eyes. "Who are you guys?" demanded Priscilla accusingly to them. "Are you all members of Shinra company?"

"No, we're not…" said Tifa calmly to Priscilla. "Stay calm…"

"… Like she says. We're not from Shinra company." said Cloud.

Priscilla didn't believe them and narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you all!" Priscilla snapped while stomping her foot on the beach ground angrily. "Get out of here!"

"Great…" said Cloud as he sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, everyone! Look at that!" said Barret out loud suddenly to the others and they all glance up and saw a large shadow came swimming rapidly through the polluted ocean water, past the red-coloured electric tower toward them, Priscilla and the dolphin and burst out of the water in front of them, revealing itself. Cloud and his group saw that it was a long and huge blue-coloured sea serpent (named Bottomswell) with various large fins on its body, a long and pointed red-coloured face with slitted yellow eyes and a mouth filled with needle sharp teeths. Bottomswell looked down, saw Cloud and his group, the girl Priscilla and her ocean dolphin friend then it swung its head down toward the dolphin (who unfortunately was the nearest to it), intending to devour it.

"Be careful, Mr Dolphin!" Priscilla cried out to the dolphin as she ran straight into the water, dive in and swam toward the dolphin, determined to saved it from the sea serpent. Bottomswell saw her coming and it swung its tail at her and whipped across her stomach hard, knocking Priscilla away from the dolphin (who quickly swam away from Bottomswell) and causing the back of her head to knocked against a rock lying at the bottom of the water. She passed out immediately from the impact and lay floating in the water.

"Little girl!" Kunsel yelled out worriedly when he and the others saw Priscilla floating limply on the surface of the water.

"Goddammit!" Laina swored out before she turned her head to looked at Cloud and the others. "Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel! You three fight that thing! The rest of you stay back!"

"Right!" said Cloud as he pulled his sword out from his back.

"Got it, Laina!" said Kunsel as he pulled his sword out from his back.

"What about you, Laina?" said Angelina as she glance at her (while pulling her naginata out).

"I'm going in to save her!" Laina replied back to her and without waiting/hesitating, she ran straight into the ocean toward Priscilla (who floated slightly farther out to the ocean due to the slightly strong current caused by Bottomswell), dive in and swam toward her floating limp body, her hand reaching out for her.

XXXX

After Laina dive head-first into the water to get Priscilla, Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel glance at Bottomswell (who also glance at them) and charge toward it with their weapons. Bottomswell swung its tail right at them and they swiftly jumped over it while running, it then let out a loud screech and began to lunged at them with its mouth wide open, showing its needle sharp teeths. Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel jumped to their left and right to avoid its jaw and needle sharp teeths as it snap shut on thin air and they raised and swung their weapons down on its face and eyes, slashing and blinding it. Bottomswell reared its head back from them and screech in pain as green blood came bleeding out of its face and closed, blinded eyes. Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel ignored its screeches of pain and charge toward it and slashes its long body everywhere with their weapons.

Under the surface of the ocean water, Laina continue swimming toward Priscilla and finally grabbed hold of her arm, pulled her limp body close to her and quickly swim up to the ocean surface.

Bottomswell screech and snapped its jaw in thin air while it thrashed its injured/bleeding serpentine body and tail around the water with intense ferocity, hoping that it could hit them after the loss of its eyes. Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel had to dodged its injured/thrashing body and tail from hitting them before they pulled out their own Fira and Thundara materia and began casting it four times on Bottomswell. The combination of the fire burning and the thunder electrocuting its injured body causes it to screech even louder in pain as its body started smoking and twitching from the fire and thunder before it ceased its screeching and its body began to fell down toward the ocean water.

Laina's head (along with Priscilla) broke the surface of the ocean and she gasped for air at the same time she saw the long, blue-coloured sea serpent (now already dead) fell down into the ocean water nearby her and Priscilla with a huge splash (causing part of the ocean water to rise up and fall down on her and Priscilla). Laina sputter for a few seconds then looked away from Bottomswell's corpse and began to swim back to the beach with Priscilla close to her. Both Angelina and Kunsel saw Laina swimming toward them with Priscilla close to her and immediately they ran to the both of them and helped them out of the water. After Laina and Priscilla got out of the water (with both Angelina and Kunsel's help) she slowly put Priscilla down onto the beach ground before she presses her ear down on Priscilla's chest.

"How is she, Laina?" Angelina asked Laina as she glance worriedly down at Priscilla's unconscious form.

"Not good, I'm afraid, Angelina." replied Laina gravely as she lifted her head. "I can't hear her breathing."

"This is bad." said Barret with a frown look on his face. "You don't think she's dead, do you?"

"Don't say that, Barret!" Angelina snapped at him.

"Priscilla, can you hear us?" said Tifa.

"Someone has to perform CPR on the little girl and fast." said Red XIII to the others as he swung his glowing tail left and right.

"I'll do it." said Laina as she brushed away some strands of Priscilla's black hair from her face, placed both of her hands on Priscilla's chest and began compressions gently yet firmly. After she do about two dozens of chest compressions on Priscilla, she pinched the bridge of her nose, tilted her chin up then open her mouth, took a deep breath and breath it into Priscilla's open mouth while the others who stand worriedly behind them both saw Priscilla's chest rising then falling. Laina repeated the process for a while on Priscilla and when she breath into her mouth for the tenth time, she heard a gurgling noise coming from within Priscilla's throat and she quickly pull away from her. Priscilla's body shuddered slightly and she coughed out the sea water that she swallowed before she gasped desperately for air.

"Uh… ugh…" Priscilla groaned weakly.

"She's alive." said Aeris, letting out a relieved breath. "You did it, Laina."

"Yeah, you saved her life." said Kunsel as he glance at her with a happy/relieved look on his face.

"Yeah. I'm glad." said Laina, in relieved.

"Priscilla!" yelled out an elderly man's anxious voice above them and Cloud and his group all turned around and lifted their heads and they saw an elderly man wearing a faded white T-shirt with long brown pants coming down the stairs toward them and Priscilla. "Hey, hey! Priscilla, are you alright?"

"She's fine." said Laina in a reassuring tone of voice to the elderly man. "She's alive, sir."

"What happened to her?" the elderly man asked Laina in a quivering tone of voice.

"She was talking and having fun with her dolphin friend until we came and she got suspicious and angry, then a monster came and…" Tifa began telling him.

"You young people can tell me the details later." the elderly man interrupted Tifa as he kneel down and lifted Priscilla's gently in his arms. "Right now I need to get my granddaughter back home."

Cloud and his group nodded to him before they all followed the elderly man (who's now carrying Priscilla) up the stairs, away from the ocean and beach, back into the town of Junon and they watched as the elderly man went through the doorway of a semi-large two-storey house and closed the door behind him. Cloud and his group decided to wait outside the house to be sure that Priscilla's all right and a few seconds later they noticed the same elderly woman who talked to them before is now approaching them again.

"Hey, you young people." the elderly woman called out to them. "Come into my house for a while."

Without waiting for them, the elderly woman turned around and walked toward her house which is near the entrance into the town of Junon, opened the door and looked back at them. Cloud glance at the others and they nodded to him before they all walked toward the elderly woman's house and went through the opened door into it. The elderly woman closed and shut the door behind them after they are all in and they saw that the interior of her house is warm and cozy-looking, with a long peach-coloured sofa leaning against a window with white curtains, two peach-coloured armchairs opposite it, an oval table standing on a red-coloured rug on the floor in between the sofa and armchairs and a small television next to the sofa in one corner of the room. The elderly woman then went into the kitchen and came out a few minutes later with a huge tray of freshly poured cups of teas in them.

"I saw what happened just now." the elderly woman told them as she gave each of them a cup of tea (which they thanked and accepted) before she sat down on one of the peach-coloured armchairs. "That was quite noble of you when you rushed to save Priscilla while your friends fought the sea monster, young lady."

"Oh well…" said Laina.

"Thank you for saving her, young lady." said the elderly woman with a smile on her face. "And I'm pretty sure that you and your friends must be in need of a clean bath and a long rest. Go right ahead, all of you, make yourselves at home for today."

"Thank you, we appreciate your kind offering." said Angelina to the elderly woman.

The elderly woman smile at Angelina before she turned and leave her house.

Once she's gone, everyone drank the tea she just poured and gave them (which turns out to be quite good) before they all turned to looked at Cloud.

"So, what now, spiky?" Barret asked Cloud.

"I don't know yet, Barret." replied Cloud with a shrug of his shoulders.

"It's getting kinda late already, everyone." said Tifa. "Why don't we take our baths and rest for tonight?"

"Tifa's right." said Laina. "Some of us are quite filthy and tired now."

Cloud glance at both Tifa and Laina, crossed his arms and tapped his left foot lightly on the floor before he finally nodded to them. "Alright then, let's do it."

Cloud and his group then went to take their baths upstairs (one by one and without any peeking) before they went into the elderly woman's room and guest room and promptly fell asleep.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: Heading up to Upper Junon and joining the Shinra army march**

"… _That reminds me"_ said the unknown male voice faintly within both Cloud and Angelina's heads as they both slept on the single beds on the second floor in the elderly woman's house.

" _You again?"_ Cloud said to the unknown male voice.

"… _Who are you?"_ Angelina asked the unknown male voice.

"… _The both of you'll get your answers soon enough."_ the unknown male voice told them. "… _But more importantly, 5 years ago…"_

" _5 years ago?"_ said Cloud as he began thinking back.

" _Are you talking about the Nibelheim tragedy?"_ Angelina said to the unknown male voice.

" _When the two of you went up to Nibelheim mountains with Laina, Sephiroth and the three or four infantrymens, Tifa was your guide, right?"_ the unknown male voice asked them both.

" _Yeah… we were surprised."_ replied Cloud.

" _We had no idea that she's the guide Sephiroth hired to guide us."_ replied Angelina.

" _But where was Tifa other than that time, do you two know?"_ the unknown male voice asked them.

" _We… don't know."_ Cloud told the unknown male voice.

" _We… can't remember."_ Angelina told the unknown male voice.

" _What about Laina? Where did she go off to before all of you went up to Nibelheim mountains? Or what about Sephiroth when he suddenly vanished?"_ probed the unknown male voice. " _He was gone for a week, isn't it?"_

"… _Hey, you're right."_ said Angelina.

" _Why didn't the both of you see them?"_ said the unknown male voice.

" _We… we don't know."_ said Cloud as both his and Angelina's heads began to pound slightly painfully from the unknown male voice relentless questions and pressure. "… _We can't remember clearly."_

" _Then why don't the two of you try asking both Laina and Tifa?"_ suggested the unknown male voice.

"… _Yeah."_ said Cloud.

"… _We'll do that."_ said Angelina.

" _Then, get up already, you two!"_ demanded the unknown male voice before the voice lapsed into silence again.

"Hey, Cloud, Angelina, wake up!" said Laina's voice.

"Hey, wake up, wake up, you two sleepy heads!" said Tifa's voice as both she and Laina shake Cloud and Angelina's shoulders gently yet firmly to wake them up and their eyes immediately snapped open (not from both their voices or their shaking but from the unknown male voice who told them to wake up). Both Cloud and Angelina glance up at both Laina and Tifa (who had concern looks on their faces) for a while before they got off the beds and stood up. After they both stood up (and shake off the pounding in their heads), they soon heard the loud, lively sounds of parade/band music blaring from outside of the elderly woman's house. Both Cloud and Angelina ignored the music and glance at both Laina and Tifa, wanting to asked them about something.

"Hey, Laina, Tifa." Angelina began saying to them. "There's something that both Cloud and I wanted to asked you two about."

"Something you and Cloud wanted to asked us?" said Laina as she glance at Angelina with a confused look on her face.

"What is it, Angie?" said Tifa as she glance at her.

"Tifa…" said Cloud. "When Sephiroth, Laina, Angie and I plus some infantrymens went to Nibelheim, where were you?"

"…What do you mean where were I?" said Tifa as she glance at Cloud with a confused look on her face. "… You, Angie and me saw each other, right?"

"Are you sure, Tifa?" said Angelina. "What about the other time before we all went up to Nibelheim mountains?"

Tifa closed her eyes in deep thinking for a few seconds before she shook her head and opened her eyes. "No… it was 5 years ago, I don't remember."

"What about you, Laina?" said Cloud as he glance from Tifa to her. "Where were you before we went up to Nibelheim mountains?"

"I can't remember either, Cloud, Angelina." said Laina. "Why are you two asking us these questions?"

"Well…" said Angelina.

"Cloud, Angie." said Tifa, cutting off Angelina's words. "When we woke up before you two this morning, we saw something strange outside. Get dressed and hurry on outside, you two!"

Without waiting for both their responses, Laina hurriedly thrusts both Cloud and Angelina's regular clothes to them before she and Tifa turned around and went down the stairs to the first floor and out of the house swiftly. After they left, both Cloud and Angelina then went to two different sides of the room (far from each other), change out of the pajamas they wore (lend to them by the elderly woman last night before they fell asleep while their regular clothes is being washed cleanly and left to dry up outside the house) into their regular clothes before they both went down the stairs, bade the elderly woman goodbye (who sat on one of the peach armchairs in the living room), went through the doorway and out of her house.

Once both Cloud and Angelina stepped out of the elderly woman's house, they saw that quite a number of elderly people had came out of their houses and is now standing in the middle of the town near Priscilla's house, all of them raised their heads to look up at the metal plate of Upper Junon, where the loud sounds of lively band/parade music came from. Both Cloud and Angelina soon saw their friends/companions standing among the elderly people near Priscilla's house and they both immediately went toward them.

"What's with this loud music?" demanded Yuffie in an annoyed/irritated tone of voice to the others while she clamped her ears shut with her hands. "It's giving me a bad headache!"

"Doesn't it seem a little strange?" said Tifa. "Upper Junon got loud and noisy all of a sudden…"

"If they keep this up, poor Priscilla won't get enough quiet and peaceful rest." said Aeris.

Just then, the front door to Priscilla's house opened and Priscilla herself stepped out of her house, wearing a light blue, sleeveless T-shirt with white skirt, white sandals on her feet and her complexion is looking much better than yesterday. Cloud and his group all turned to glance at her and she glance back at each of them before she walked toward Laina, threw her small arms around Laina's waist and hugged her.

"Hey there, Priscilla." said Laina as she placed her right hand on Priscilla's head and patted it. "Are you alright now?"

"Yeah." said Priscilla as she glance up at Laina, smiling and nodding her head. "Thank you for saving me, big sis." She then turned her head to glance at the others. "And thank you, you all. For getting rid of that monster. Also… I'm sorry for mistaking you all for members of Shinra company…"

"That's all right." said Cloud with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"You're not the first who say that to us." said Angelina.

"I know! I'll give one of you something SPECIAL!" announced Priscilla to Cloud and his group with a huge grin on her face. She then delved her left hand into the pocket of her white skirt and she pulled out a red-coloured ball and they saw that its another summon materia (the "Shiva" materia). Priscilla walked away from Laina toward Kunsel and handed it to him, who took it. "It's my lucky amulet. Take good care of it, alright?" Priscilla said to Kunsel.

"Don't you worry, little girl." said Kunsel in a reassuring tone of voice to Priscilla as he put the "Shiva" materia into his right pocket. "I'll take good care of this "amulet"."

Priscilla nodded to him.

"What's with this loud music?" Barret asked Priscilla. "It sure sounds lively."

"Oh, that loud music? I heard from my grandfather yesterday that they're rehearsing the reception for the new president of Shinra company." replied Priscilla with a dark look on her face.

"Rufus!?" Barret growled out before he began smiling evilly. "I gotta go and pay my respects to him."

Priscilla walked past Cloud and his group and stopped to looked out at the ocean. "Grandpa and grandma told me that this beach was quite beautiful when they were small childrens. But after Shinra company came and built that city above, the sun stopped shining down here and the ocean water got polluted… I was raised on that story and hated Shinra company so much, I could die."

" _Some of us share your feeling of hate, Priscilla."_ thought Tifa to herself.

"Do all of you think that Rufus is thinking about crossing the ocean from here, too?" asked Aeris as she glance at the others. "Does that mean that Sephiroth had already crossed the ocean?"

"Wait a second." said Red XIII as he glance at both Cloud and Angelina. "Didn't you two finish Rufus off?"

"No, we didn't." replied Cloud with a shake of his head, same goes for Angelina.

"We gotta get to the city up there." said Barret as he glance at the others. "The elevator over there is out of the question because of damn Shinra company putting a security guard there. Mebbe we could climb up the tower in the middle of the ocean?"

"No! No! You can't do that!" Priscilla cried out while waving her small arms wildly. "There's a high voltage current running underneath that tower. Don't wandered too near to it, it's dangerous!"

"So, there's really no way for us to go up?" said Tifa, slowly shaking her head.

Priscilla lowered her head and lapsed into silence for a while before she raised her head and glance at them. "But… you might be able to do it if Mr dolphin helps you. Follow me!"

Priscilla ran past them, away from her house and ran down the concrete staircase toward the beach. Cloud and his group turned around and watch her ran until she's out of their sight before they all turned back to glance at each other and began thinking deeply about who should go and do it and they all decided and glance at Cloud.

"High voltage tower…" said Tifa. "I guess this means that Cloud'll be all right."

Aeris nodded in agreement to Tifa. "Yeah, better leave it to Cloud!"

"We're counting on you, Cloud." Red XIII said to him.

"Hey!" snapped Cloud as he scowled at all of them. "Wait just a second!"

"Good luck, Cloud." said Angelina, giving his shoulder a pat.

"Why don't you go with him, Kunsel? Just in case." Laina said to Kunsel.

"What, me too?" said Kunsel as he glance at Laina with a surprise look on his face then he sighed and nodded. "Fine, Laina."

"Thanks, Kunsel." said Laina, smiling at Kunsel before she and the others dispersed away from both Cloud and Kunsel to different parts of the town of Junon. Both Cloud and Kunsel then turned around and went down the concrete staircase to the beach, where Priscilla is waiting patiently for them.

"Wait a minute, you two." Priscilla told them both before she turned away from them, put her hand into her skirt pocket and pull out a long, shiny grey whistle. She put the whistle to her mouth, blew it and it immediately let out a whistling sound. At first nothing happened, then both Cloud and Kunsel saw the same blue dolphin from yesterday swimming under the surface of the ocean before it swim near the red-coloured electric tower and jumped out of the water, past a metal bar that joined the tower to part of the city wall before falling/diving back into the water again.

"Woah." said Kunsel. "The jump today make the jump yesterday look pale in comparison."

Priscilla turned to looked at Kunsel with a proud look on her face. "Pretty cool, huh? When I blow this whistle, Mr dolphin jumps for me." Priscilla then walked toward Cloud and held out the whistle to him. "Here! This is for you!"

"This whistle?" said Cloud as he glance down at the whistle in his hand in confusion (after he take it from her). "What am I supposed to do with it!?"

Priscilla shook her head in dismay/pity before she went behind Cloud and began pushing him towards the water. "Just go into the water, blow this whistle and Mr dolphin'll jump you to the top of the pole!" Priscilla explained to him.

"Jump to the top of the pole?" Kunsel said to her.

"See that rod sticking out at the top?" said Priscilla as she raised her hand and pointed her finger up at the metal bar that hung above them. Both Cloud and Kunsel saw it and nodded. "If you two jump just right, you can climb to the top of the town."

"Alright then." said Cloud as he pull out the PHS from his pocket (to not get it wet) and unhooked his Buster sword from his back before he gave it to Kunsel and told him to give it to the others in the town. Kunsel nodded before he turned around, walked away from the beach and went up the concrete staircase. Cloud then headed into the ocean water until he's right beneath the pole which Priscilla just pointed out to him and Kunsel (with the blue dolphin swimming around him in a playful circle). Cloud then put the whistle to his mouth, blew it and he saw the blue dolphin disappear under the water, out of his sight.

A few seconds later, Cloud felt the blue dolphin moving under him and before he could look down, the blue dolphin suddenly pushed up beneath Cloud's feet and it jumped high up into the air toward the pole, carrying Cloud with it. Cloud held onto the dolphin's fin tightly until they neared the pole then he release his grip on the dolphin's fin, drew up his knees and jumped away from the blue dolphin, his left arm reaching out for the pole. He managed to grabbed it firmly/safely with his left hand before he pull himself up onto the pole and clambered onto it. Cloud then glance down at Priscilla and Kunsel (who came back), threw the whistle down to Kunsel (who got it in his hands) and waited for him. A few seconds later, the dolphin jumped up with Kunsel holding its fin with his hands tightly behind it until they neared the pole the second time and Kunsel jumped away from it and also succeeded in grabbing the pole. Kunsel climbed/clambered onto the pole, sat next to Cloud for a while, threw the whistle down to Priscilla (who got it in her hands) before they both stood up from the pole, turned to their left and walked away from the pole toward a ladder attached against the tower wall and they began climbing up the ladder.

Both Cloud and Kunsel climbed the ladder until they eventually reached the top of the electric tower, got off the ladder, stood up, looked around and saw that they're now at the edge of Junon Airport landing strip about the size of a football field, with an enormous airship floating slightly above the ground with its engine humming quietly on standby twenty feet in front of them. Both Cloud and Kunsel were quite surprise when they didn't see any Shinra security guards around before they turned to their left and headed toward the cargo elevator. Cloud pressed his foot down on a red button on the floor of the cargo elevator, waited for it to descend smoothly to the ground then he and Kunsel left the cargo elevator and into the nearest building. Once they're inside the hallway in the building, they immediately saw some blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen coming down the hallway to their right, about to approach them and both Cloud and Kunsel swiftly pressed their backs against the wall of the building to let them pass.

"Eh! Ho!" said the first infantrymen.

"The new President! He's here! He's here!" said the second infantrymen.

"Hurry! Hurry!" said the third infantrymen.

The three Shinra infantrymen walked swiftly past both Cloud and Kunsel, went through an opened doorway to their right and out of their sight. A few seconds after they're gone, another Shinra infantrymen in red uniform came down the hallway toward them and stopped in front of them both.

"Hey! You two still dressed like that!? Come 'ere!" the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman snapped at them both before he grabbed both of their arms and dragged them roughly back the way he came from and into a small locker/changing room.

"Today's the big day when we welcome President Rufus!" announced the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman to both Cloud and Kunsel. "We can't afford any mistakes! So you two hurry up and get change!"

"Yes sir…" replied Cloud after he exchange a dislike glance with Kunsel before they turned to their left, walked toward the last locker (which is slightly open) and Cloud opened it to see two Shinra infantrymen blue uniforms neatly folded inside. " _Brings back memories…_ " thought Cloud to himself as he pulled the two uniforms out, gave one to Kunsel and they headed into the changing room next to the lockers and wore the Shinra infantrymen uniforms over their regular clothes before coming out. The red-uniformed Shinra infantryman looked them both up and down in their Shinra infantrymen uniforms and nodded in approval.

"Wow! You both look good in it!" exclaimed the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman quite proudly to them before his face turn serious. "You two remember the "Greeting procedure", right!?" the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman asked them both and they glance at each other before shrugging their shoulders at him. "…the looks on both your faces tells me that you two forget." said the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman with a disappointed sigh. "All right, I'll show you two again! Do just like we do, you two."

Right after the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman finished talking to both Cloud and Kunsel, the door to the locker/changing room burst open and the same three blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen which both Cloud and Kunsel saw a few seconds before came running into the room and stopped before the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman.

"Commander! We'll help too!" exclaimed the first infantrymen.

"This is how to do it!" said the second infantrymen as he turned to glance at both Cloud and Kunsel.

"We'll also sing too!" added the third infantrymen.

"All right, you three!" said the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman as he turned to glance at them. "Show'em both!"

The three blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen nodded and they began to sing and march the "Greeting procedure" at the same time in front of the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman, Cloud and Kunsel. Both Cloud and Kunsel had to refrained themselves from saying anything and laughing out loud at the three blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen hilarious singing/marching practice for the new president. After they're done with their singing/marching practice, the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman turned back to glance at both Cloud and Kunsel.

"You two got all that?" asked the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman to both Cloud and Kunsel.

"We got it, sir!" replied both Cloud and Kunsel at the same time.

"Good!" said the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman in approval. "Make sure that you two do well in the real parade!"

The door to the locker/changing room open again to show yet another blue-uniformed Shinra infantryman who glance at all of them. "The new president has arrived! Preparations are now completed!" announced the fourth blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen to them and the three blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen quickly turned to their left and followed the fourth infantrymen out of the room.

"All right, show time, you two!" announced the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman to both Cloud and Kunsel. "Don't disgrace yourselves!"

Both Cloud and Kunsel nodded and saluted to the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman before they followed after him out of the room, down the long hallway, through an opened door and headed outside.

XXXX

Outside on the street of Upper Junon city, the street were busy with the complete preparation of the Welcoming Parade and filled with many blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymens/soldiers practicing their singing/marching drill (while their red-uniformed leaders shouting orders and blow their whistles loudly at them and a Shinra helicopter flew by above them) as they waited for the parade to begin. One of the blue-uniformed Shinra infantryman came running down the street toward the main leader who would stand at the very front of the Shinra march.

"The Welcoming Parade shall begin now!" shouted the blue-uniformed Shinra infantryman to the main leader and the main leader nodded before he turned to looked at his Shinra squad and blew his whistle loudly to gave the order to start marching to the other leaders. Soon the other leaders got the main leader's order and they began marching.

Heidegger himself was leading the marching parade in front of the main leader and his Shinra squad as they walked in front of the auto-drive grey-coloured topless parade car where President Rufus is currently tanding in it and waving his left arm to the Junon citizens who cheered merrily for him inside and outside of their shops/buildings with a smug/superior look on his face. Behind him and the grey-coloured car he's standing in marched the rest of the Shinra squad and their leaders as they marched onward.

XXXX

"Oh…no…!" exclaimed the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman with a horrified look on his face after he, the four blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen and both Cloud and Kunsel stepped out of the building onto the street of Junon to see that there's not a single person in sight on the street. "No one's here! Are we late…!?" said the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman to himself before he turned around to glance at both Cloud and Kunsel with a stern look on his face. "Hey, you two rookies, it's both your fault that we're late now!"

Both Cloud and Kunsel rolled their eyes and shrugged their shoulders at the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman which makes him even madder. He open his mouth and was about to reprimand them both about their attitudes but before he could, he got interrupted by one of the blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen who walked away from them toward an alley between two tall buildings.

"Captain, I've found a shortcut!" the first infantrymen shouted to him while waving his left arm. "Let's use it!"

"R-Right, good idea!" said the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman to him as he turned to glance at him before turning back to the other three infantrymen and both Cloud and Kunsel. "All of you, get over here!"

The three blue-uniformed infantrymen and both Cloud and Kunsel hurried after the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman toward the alley between the two buildings (where the first infantryman is waiting) before they all went through the alley one by one and the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman (who take the lead in front of them) stopped at the entrance of the alley between the two buildings at the other side (where they could see the ongoing parade from behind him) before he turned around to glance at them with a serious look on his face.

"This is it, you all!" the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman said to them. "Don't mess this up!"

"I'll go first, sir!" said the first infantrymen to him before he glance over his shoulder at both Cloud and Kunsel standing far behind them. "Now you two watch closely and do as I do, rookies!" he told them. "Just sneak into the back of the line when you two saw an opening, okay?"

Both Cloud and Kunsel watched as the first infantrymen turned back to the parade, lifted his gun and waited for his chance to sneak in. As one of the marching squad pass by him, he immediately ran to the back of the line and slipped himself quickly and easily within the squad without the citizens noticing. Soon the second, third and fourth infantrymen came out of the alley and slipped themselves easily into each of the squads which pass by them until it's both Cloud and Kunsel turn to do it.

"Now, you two listen up!" said the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman sternly to both Cloud and Kunsel and they turned to glance at him. "This parade's gonna be broadcast live on Shinra TV, around the world! If you two look bad, the whole Junon Shinra army will look bad. Remember that and don't you two screw it up! Got it?"

"Got it, sir!" said both Cloud and Kunsel.

The red-uniformed Shinra infantryman nodded before he glance past both Cloud and Kunsel's shoulders at the parade, trying to find one squad with two spots missing and saw one coming toward them. "Ok! Jump in when I gave you two the signal! Just sneak in from the back! Don't mess up the row! And no matter what, don't you two try to go in from the front! All right! Start marching, you two!"

Both Cloud and Kunsel did as they were told and began practicing their marching, both of them feeling like complete idiots for doing it and hoping that the others weren't nearby to witness it.

"Charge now-!" the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman commanded them when the squad is close enough and both Cloud and Kunsel immediately marched their way past the thick crowd standing/cheering on the street toward the back line of the squad and slipped themselves in it. But when they try to do the "Greeting procedure" which the three blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen showed them both minutes ago, they did it quite poorly (but still they care not about it).

XXXX

"Oh, dear Gaia!" said Angelina with an incredulous/about to laugh look on her face when she saw both Cloud and Kunsel doing their marching at the entrance of an alley before they went and slipped themselves at the back of the Shinra squad and do the "Greeting procedure" poorly before she glance at Laina (both of them hiding in the thick Junon crowd and in disguises). "Did you see what they're doing, Laina?"

"Yeah, I saw it, Angelina." said Laina to Angelina before they began chuckling (then ceased their chuckling) and quickly wove their way through the thick crowd to their left after the others of their group ahead of them (all of them also in disguises).

XXXX

"What the hell are those two soldiers doing?" asked the TV producer with a dark look on his face to the AD person sitting on a chair next to him when he saw the mess up Cloud and Kunsel do while marching in their squad.

"I don't know." replied the AD.

"Are the points up?" the TV producer asked the AD.

The AD looked down at the point ratings on the bottom right side of the screen and gulped nervously. "Oh no! This is terrible!" exclaimed the AD when he saw the point ratings on the screen went rapidly down, no thanks to the mess up done by both Cloud and Kunsel. "Am…am I fired?"

"What!? You're FIRED!" said the TV producer to the AD in a loud and angry voice when he saw the point ratings on the screen continue dropping. "Sent those two soldiers a bomb or something!"

XXXX

A few seconds later, the main part of the "Welcoming Parade" had come to an end and most of the blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen and some of the red-uniformed Shinra infantrymen had dispersed away, leaving only one red-uniformed Shinra infantryman ordering a handful of blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen to do their drilling presentation in front of both Heidegger and Rufus (who were standing near a mechanical gondola with a large red banner bearing Rufus's name on it), who's watching them doing their drilling presentation with mild interest.

Cloud, Kunsel and the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman ran up from the back of the street and they came to a stop behind the drilling squad. "Good! We made it." said the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman with relief before he turned to the front and saw Rufus. "Oh! President Rufus!" said the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman nervously before he quickly turned to glared at both Cloud and Kunsel. "Hey, you two! Line up and shut up!" he snapped at them. "Don't make a move!"

Both Cloud and Kunsel turned away from the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman to the front and did nothing while the other blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen continue their drilling performance in front of them until it came to an end then the red uniformed Shinra infantrymen in charge of drilling them turned to glance at both Heidegger and Rufus and raised his left arm to saluted them.

"How's the job?" Rufus asked Heidegger (who turned around to glance at him) before he turned away from him toward the gondola elevator near him, looked around with a confused look on his face before turning back to glance at Heidegger. "What happened to the Airship?"

"The long-range Airship is still being prepared, sir." replied Heidegger as he scratch the side of his head. "It should be ready in about three more days. Gya haa haa!"

"Even the Air Force's Gelnika?" said Rufus with a slight surprise look on his face until it change into a look of irritation when Heidegger continue laughing. "Stop that stupid horse laugh of yours, Director Heidegger." commanded Rufus sternly to Heidegger. "Things are different than when my father was in charge."

Heidegger slowly stopped laughing and Rufus turned and walked a few steps ahead of him before he turned around. "Is the ship ready?" Rufus asked him.

"Yes sir." replied Heidegger quietly. "We'll get it ready quickly."

Rufus nodded, raised his left arm to flicked a lock of his light blonde hair behind his ear before he turned and climbed up the small ladder against the side of the gondola elevator below the door, open it and went through it. After he went into the gondola elevator, Heidegger immediately ran toward the Shinra drilling squad lined up in front of him and began to beat them in anger and frustration, which make them all flinched in fright and they scattered to their left away from Heidegger, except for both Cloud and Kunsel, who continue standing there without moving. Heidegger then approach them both swiftly and began punching their chests with his fist thrice until the sound of the gondola elevator began to whistle to signal that its about to leave and Heidegger quickly turned around, ran away from them, climbed and went into the gondola elevator before it headed up. After he went into the gondola, the other blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen relaxed and approach both Cloud and Kunsel.

"What a disaster." said the first infantrymen to Cloud and Kunsel's right.

"Heidegger was really irritated…" said the second infantrymen to their left.

"The silver-haired man in the Black Cape's been roaming Junon city, but we still can't find him." said the third infantrymen.

"Silver-haired man in a Black Cape?" said both Cloud and Kunsel as they turned to glance at them.

"That's right." said the fourth infantrymen with a nod of his head as he glance at both Cloud and Kunsel. "He showed up in Junon two or three days ago and killed off a few of our soldiers."

"He disappeared right after that." said the fifth infantrymen. "There's a rumour going around that it was Sephiroth."

"Attention!" yelled the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman in charge to them suddenly, cutting off their conversation. "Dismissed, all of you!"

The infantrymen/soldiers squad immediately heeded his order and they split up from each other into two smaller groups of three people before the two group turned to their left and right and swiftly walked away from Cloud, Kunsel and the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman behind them both. After they're all gone, the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman approach both Cloud and Kunsel angrily when he saw that they both remained where they stand.

"Hey! Hey, you two!" snapped the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman angrily at both Cloud and Kunsel, who turned to glance at him. "You two messing with the army?"

"So? What if we did?" said Cloud while both he and Kunsel shrugged their shoulders at the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman.

"You two are too lazy!" said the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman angrily to both Cloud and Kunsel. "No break for either of you! Now, get over here!"

 **(Yeah, I know that I use too much of the same words in this chapter and I hope that all of you won't get too annoyed or angry at me for it.)**

The red-uniformed grabbed both of their arms and dragged them both back the long way they came from into the same locker room (which the both of them change their outfits) within the building near the airfield.

"This is the military, soldiers!" said the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman to them in a commanding tone of voice. "Both your orders for today are to send off President Rufus at the dock! I'll keep drilling you two until it's time!" the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman told them with a smirk on his face.

The next second, the closed door to the locker/changing room opened again and the same three blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen came into the locker/changing room.

"I'll help, sir!" said the first infantrymen.

"Me too, sir!" said the second infantrymen.

"So do I, sir!" said the third infantrymen.

"All right!" said the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman as he turned to glance at them. "Line up in order and show me your final pose! Today's command is "Formation"! Remember it!"

The three blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen nodded before they lined up beside one another and the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman pull a whistle out of his pocket, raised it to his mouth and blew hard while both Cloud and Kunsel watched them do the "Formation" drill until it's done and they stopped. They then began asking their captain about what special pose they should do today which he haven't decided and he let Cloud choose for them instead. Cloud crossed his arms and thought for a moment before he got it and he show them his special pose (which he always did with his Buster sword after he and his group fought/killed off monsters). The four red and blue-uniformed infantrymen (and even Kunsel) were in awed at his special pose that they decided to go with it.

After that, the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman ordered them all to leave the locker/changing room and meet up at the dock. They immediately turned and left the room, down the hallway and out of the building, rushing for the dock with both Cloud and Kunsel following closely behind them. As they ran down the now empty street pass the tall and dimly-lit buildings/shops of Junon, both Cloud and Kunsel noticed Rude, one of the members of the Turks as he crossed the street (after they ran past him) and went into one of the buildings. They ran on down the street and through a short and dark metallic tunnel until they reach the Junon harbor where they could see a large Shinra ship standing and waiting to set sail out to the ocean. The back of the ship was open and waiting for its leftover passengers with two blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen standing and guarding it. The red-uniformed Shinra infantryman quickly run up in front of the back of the ship with Cloud, Kunsel and the other three blue-uniformed Shinra infantrymen following behind him until they stand up and got in line in front of him, ready to sent off the president.

"All right, you all!" the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman announced to them. "Ten…HUT!"

"President Rufus… has now arrived!" announced a single blue-uniformed Shinra infantryman standing next to a metal door far to their right. The metal door opened and they all saw Rufus walked through it toward them and the back of the ship with Heidegger and two familiar Turks, Crisis and Phemie, following behind him.

"This is it! Junon Military Reception-!" said the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman sharply to all five of the infantrymen standing in front of him while Rufus and the others stopped in front of them and watched. "Do it right-, Do it with enthusiasm…! Ready…!" the red uniformed Shinra infantryman blew his whistle hard and Cloud, Kunsel and the other infantrymen began doing their "Formation" drill until the end of it. After it's done, the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman turned to glance at the president and gave him a salute while Heidegger laughed happily at their drill. Rufus stepped forward to them and clapped his hands, impressed by their drill.

"Well done, you all." Rufus said to them. "Keep up the good work for ."

Heidegger then walked forward to them past Rufus (still laughing) to each of them, whisper some words to them and gave them a small bag of something before reaching both Cloud and Kunsel.

"Gya, haa, haa…!" laughed Heidegger when he stopped in front of them (which make them both grimaced inwardly). "Here's a special bonus for you two! A token of the President's kindness! Don't forget it!" Heidegger dropped two small bags of gil onto both Cloud and Kunsel's hands and they smirked while silently glancing at Rufus, Heidegger, Crisis and Phemie as they turned and stepped onto the ship before they began talking.

"Once the word gets out that Sephiroth's here, Cloud, Angelina and their friends will show up, too." Rufus said to Heidegger.

"Don't worry, president!" said Heidegger in a smug and reassuring tone of voice to him. "We'll crush them as soon as we see them!"

Phemie flinched when she heard Heidegger say that and Crisis clasped her left hand with his and squeeze it to reassured her. She glance at him and smiled.

"We can't have them get in our way." Rufus told Heidegger sternly as he turned to glance at him.

"Leave it to me, sir!" replied Heidegger with a nod of his head. "Gya, haa, haa!"

"I thought I told you just now to stop that stupid horse laugh of yours." Rufus repeated his earlier words to Heidegger irritatedly and Heidegger abruptly stops laughing.

Rufus then turned away from Heidegger and went into the ship (with both Crisis and Phemie following closely behind him), walking pass the large and many wooden crates which had been loaded into the ship for the journey across the ocean. Heidegger turned around and signalled to the Shinra soldiers standing in front of him before he turned around and hurried into the ship. Moments later, all of them heard the loud booming of the ship as it began to make its final preparation before setting sail. The red-uniformed infantryman then told them to be dismissed and they began to relax after doing the drilling/marching/singing and both Cloud and Kunsel heard them talking about Hojo leaving a letter of resignation then disappear which make Heidegger very crossed and edgy and forced to investigate about it. The red-uniformed Shinra infantryman saw them still standing and talking near the back of the ship and he berated them about it which had them all flinched in fright and they run toward the metal door far to their right and went through it (the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman followed soon after), leaving both Cloud and Kunsel behind. Both Cloud and Kunsel then run into the ship and the door at the back of the ship began to rise up off the dock and close behind them.

"We'll cross the ocean, to the new continent. Even if we're wearing Shinra uniforms..." Cloud told Kunsel after they're inside the ship and Kunsel nodded to him.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Battle against Jenova-BIRTH**

Soon the Junon Cargo Ship had set sail and headed off away from Junon across the ocean toward the next continent far ahead of it while carrying the Shinra soldiers, sailors, important passengers and some stowaways in Shinra disguises that were on it and beneath it. Both Heidegger and Rufus were unaware that Cloud and his group were on the same ship with them, thinking that they had left them behind in Junon when in reality, Cloud and his group is currently walking around freely on various corners of the ship and amongst the ship's sailors and crews.

Within the huge room full of wooden crates and a few sailors walking around in the ship, both Cloud and Kunsel walked around the room and collected some items inside the yellow treasure boxes scattered around in the room (Ether, Hi-potion, Soma and Gris-gris bag) before Cloud decided to check up on the others, whether they're all on the ship and were they blending in without suspicion by the Shinra soldiers and sailors on the ship and he quickly told Kunsel about it (who nodded at his thinking). So they begin their checking/searching of the others on the ship and the first person they saw and found is Yuffie, who is in the same room with them, wearing a sailor outfit and is standing with her back to them and her head down near some wooden crates in front of her. When they both approach her, they saw that her face is sickly pale in colour and she's uttering sounds of groaning. Yuffie then felt someone standing nearby and behind her, looked up and saw both Cloud and Kunsel (who gave her sympathetic looks) before looking back down on the ground again.

"Urrrgh…" groaned Yuffie weakly to both Cloud and Kunsel while both her hands is holding her stomach. "This is the reason… on why I hate ships. Hey, do you two… have any "Tranquilizer"?" Yuffie asked them both.

"No, I don't. Sorry." replied Cloud with a shake of his head.

"I have but only one." Kunsel told Yuffie as he pull the "Tranquilizer" out of his pocket and gave it to her.

"Thanks…" said Yuffie weakly to Kunsel as she take the "Tranquilizer" from him, open it, drank and swallow it. "Gross… this is bitter." said Yuffie with a pale, grimaced look on her face.

"Hey, Yuffie. Have you seen the others?" Cloud asked her.

"The others, you say? I dunno." replied Yuffie. "Aren't they hiding around here somewhere too like we did? Ugh… Urk…"

Both Cloud and Kunsel soon left her alone and as they turned to their left and headed on down the lower decks, they saw a single Shinra infantryman coming their way in a cautious manner and they quickly braced themselves against the Shinra infantryman.

"Is it you two, Cloud, Kunsel?" said the infantryman suddenly to both Cloud and Kunsel in a familiar voice and the infantryman lifted the visor of her helmet to reveal her face. "It's me, Aeris."

Both Cloud and Kunsel relaxed their guard when they see Aeris's face under the Shinra helmet she's wearing.

"Hey, Cloud, Kunsel. Did you two see the Airship back at Junon?" Aeris asked them both.

"Yeah." replied Cloud with a nod of his head. "…I heard that it was big, but I didn't expect it to be THAT big."

"That Airship is named "Highwind"." Kunsel told them both. "Named after a famous pilot living in "Rocket Town" and it's one of Shinra company's prized vehicles."

"I see. Still, that was REALLY something." said Aeris with an awed/dreamy look on her face for a moment before she glance at both Cloud and Kunsel. "Hey, do you two think that I could possibly get on it?"

"Well…" said Kunsel.

"…If you keep hoping, Aeris, then it's possible." said Cloud to her with a nod of his head.

"Wow! I'm really looking forward to it!" said Aeris in an excited whisper to both Cloud and Kunsel (who smiled at her excited mood). Both Cloud and Kunsel then parted ways with Aeris (who decided to resumed her patrol of the lower deck room so as not to arouse suspicion), turned to their right and walked past a metallic door guarded by another single infantryman (who couldn't be one of their friends) before they went up the metallic staircase attached against the left-side metal wall of the lower deck and out of the lower deck room. Once both Cloud and Kunsel are out of the lower deck room and is now standing on the outside, upper deck of the ship (and smell the clear/refreshing sea air), they looked around for the others who are in Shinra disguises and saw that most of the crew on the ship were sailors instead of Shinra infantrymen/soldiers. They looked around the upper deck some more and Cloud spotted Tifa(in an infantryman outfit) standing on the top of a lookout balcony nearby him while Kunsel spotted Laina (in an infantryman outfit) standing at the back of the ship in a conversation with her sister, Phemie (who doesn't know that she's talking to her older sister and thought that she's talking to a mere infantryman). Once they're satisfied that both Tifa and Laina won't jeopardize their safety, they then walked across the upper deck of the ship toward the front of it in search of Angelina, Red XIII and Barret and they soon spotted Red XIII together with Angelina (both of them wearing infantrymen outfits) and had to refrained themselves from bursting out in laughter. Red XIII (with a little help from Angelina) is currently standing up on his hind legs and trying his best to walk like a normal human being. The problem is that despite Angelina's help, he's still finding it quite difficult to stand up/walked on his hind legs which causes him to wobbled unsteadily from one side of the deck to another outside the president's cabin while his long, glowing tail sway back and forth behind him, with Angelina watching him, just in case. Both Cloud and Kunsel then climbed up the short ladder attached against the side of the deck then went up a short staircase until they stood on top of it near them. Angelina felt their presence and she turned around to faced them.

"Hey there, Cloud, Kunsel." said Angelina to them both, smiling at them.

"Hey, Angie." replied Cloud.

"Hey back." replied Kunsel. "Trying to help Red XIII to blend in, huh?"

"Yeah. But as you two can see…" said Angelina with a tilt of her head in Red XIII way.

"Don't worry, you three." Red XIII told them in a reassuring tone of voice before he looked down at himself and his wobbly form. "I may be standing/walking a little woozily but I'm sure that I wouldn't get caught. Besides, humans only look at appearances anyway. Anyway anyone look at it, I'd say that I make quite a fine human being." Red XIII then stagger a bit to his right and was about to fall but Angelina managed to grabbed his left arm and helped him stay upright. "Still, it's quite hard for me to stand/walked on two legs…"

Both Cloud and Kunsel nodded to Red XIII before Cloud glance at Angelina. "Hey, Angie. Have you seen Barret?"

"Yeah, I think I saw him at the very front of the ship outside a cabin…" Angelina told him before a worried look appear on her face. "Why don't you go up to the front and check up on him, Cloud? I've a bad feeling that he might be ready to do something reckless and stupid…"

Cloud nodded before he turned and left Kunsel behind with both Angelina and Red XIII on the deck outside the president's cabin, toward the front of the ship (as casually as he could) and spotted Barret (wearing a sailor's outfit which looked ridiculous on him) standing by the window of the president's cabin and gazing through it at both Heidegger and Rufus as they both stood talking to each other in the middle of the cabin with a dark, angry look on his face.

"Look in there, Cloud. It's Rufus and Heidegger." said Barret in a voice full of hatred at Cloud without looking over at him when he approach. "They're this close to us but we still can't do a damn thing to 'em…"

Cloud looked through the window at both Heidegger and Rufus beside Barret. He saw Heidegger talked to Rufus for a few seconds before he began laughing heartily (which make Rufus's face turned irritated). Barret saw Heidegger laughed and his face turned even darker than ever.

"Ummmmm… Gmmmmm… How can he… Goin' off laughin like that? Because of him, Biggs… Wedge… Jessie…" Barret snarled under his breath before he turned away from the window, ran away from it for a few steps before stopping in his tracks, raised and shake his left fist angrily. "Gaia! I can't take it anymore!" Barret growled fiercely. "I'm gonna settle things with them right here, right now…"

Cloud turned away from the window to glance at him and just as he was about to protest/stopped Barret from doing it, the sudden sound of a loud alarm rang out loudly on the ship, followed by a mechanical voice soon enough (while every crew and Shinra infantrymen/soldiers froze on the spots and fell silence when they heard it).

"Emergency alert! Reports of a suspicious character found! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report immediately when apprehended suspicious character! I repeat, Suspicious character found on board! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report immediately when apprehended suspicious character!"

Both Cloud and Barret began to look around anxiously as the alarm continued its loud ringing around them while inside the president's cabin behind them, both Heidegger and Rufus left the cabin immediately after the alarm sounded out to a safer area on the ship.

"Goddammit, did they find us!?" Barret demanded before he lowered his head and think about it. "Hey, that don't seem like us. Do they mean… Tifa and the others!?" Barret then turned around to glance at Cloud with an anxious/worry look on his face. "Shit! Get off your spiky ass and let's go, Cloud!"

Cloud nodded to him before they turned to their left and sprinted away from the front of the ship toward the middle part of the upper deck. As they both arrived at the middle part of the upper deck, they saw that all the others had the same idea as them and they're now gathered together at the middle part of the upper deck (while the rest of the ship's personnel, sailors and infantrymen were all below deck in search of the suspicious character).

"You all right!?" said Barret.

"Everyone all right!?" said Tifa at the same time.

All nine of them lapsed into silence and they all glance around at each other and saw that every one of them were all here and accounted for.

"Huh?" said Aeris with a confused look on her face.

"Everyone's all here… right?" said Tifa.

Kunsel began counting all of them (just in case) and nodded to Tifa. "Yep, all nine of us are here."

"Then who…" Angelina began saying and got cut off by Barret.

"Hey, wait a minute." said Barret suddenly as he thought of something. "You don't think that suspicious character is… Sephiroth?"

"Are you sure about that, Barret!?" said Tifa with a shocked look on her face.

"How the hell am I supposed to know!?" said Barret to her angrily.

"….. Let's find out." Cloud said to them and one by one, they all turned to looked at him, all of them now with cold fear and dread on their faces and bodies as they thought of Sephiroth somewhere on or below the ship and that they're all within reach of him after they began chasing after him starting from Shinra company two, three days ago.

"It's the most logical thing to do now." Red XIII said to them all before he glance at Cloud. "So, which of us are going with you, Cloud?"

"N, not me…" stammered Yuffie in a nervous voice while she shakes her head and take a few steps backward away from the others. "I don't even like this Sephiroth guy anyway. And besides… ugh… urk…" Cloud and his group watched as Yuffie's face turned green and she quickly covered her mouth with both hands before she turned from them, run to the right-side edge of the ship and vomited over the side of it. Cloud sighed, lowered his head in thinking who to bring with him for a few seconds before raising his head and decided to bring Angelina, Tifa and Laina. Angelina, Tifa and Laina nodded to him before they (along with Cloud) shed and toss away their Shinra uniform disguises (they still wear their regular clothes underneath) then headed toward the open door leading down to the ship's lower deck.

As Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina walked down the staircase toward the lower deck room, all four of them noticed that the lower deck room is unusually quiet except for the gentle humming of the ship's engine sound, penetrating through the lower deck room wall from somewhere on the ship. They reached the bottom of the staircase, stepped off it to looked around the room and saw quite a few sailors and infantrymen lying face-down on top of some of the wooden crates and on the floor. Laina immediately walked toward the Shinra infantryman lying against the wall next to the metal door, kneel down and checked him for a pulse. She found one and sighed in relieved that he, along with his fellow infantrymen and sailors are not dead, just knocked out cold. Laina then stood back up and stepped aside for Cloud, Angelina and Tifa to opened the door into the "Engine Room" and they went through it into the room before she followed suit after them.

After they all went through the door into the engine room (which is quite oblong/spacious in size with grey-coloured walls and floor, twin mako generators side by side emitting smooth whirring sounds as the mako inside each drove the endless rotating turbines), they immediately felt a strong, ominous sense of evil in the air. They saw yet some more of the ship's sailors and infantrymen lying face-down on the floor of the engine room (either knocked out cold or dead) with a single red-uniformed Shinra infantryman standing in a rigid manner with his back to them and staring at the wall before him.

"Is it you… Sephiroth?" Cloud asked the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman as he and the others behind him approach the man.

Slowly the red-uniformed Shinra infantryman turned around to faced Cloud and the others behind him and they all saw that the man's face was pale and blank-looking, with a thin trickle of blood flowing out of the side of his mouth. The red-uniformed Shinra infantryman then fell forward on his knees (Cloud took a few steps back) and onto the floor in front of them, already long dead.

"No… he's not Sephiroth!" said Cloud as he shake his head in disbelief.

"…After a long slumber…" said a cold, menacing voice from all around them in the engine room and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina quickly glance around the room for the source of the voice. "…the time… time… has come…"

"Cloud, look! In front of you!" said Angelina suddenly to Cloud as she pointed a finger at the spot where the infantryman body was (which already disappear and returned to the Lifestream). Cloud, Tifa and Laina looked at where she pointed and saw that the floor before them began to ripple slightly before a figure slowly rise up through the floor before them. After the figure show himself before them and all four of them glance at the figure, they saw that it's indeed Sephiroth himself. He hasn't change at all since the last time all four of them saw him 5, 6 years ago. He had long, silver-coloured hair down his back, tired looking greenish-blue mako eyes on his pale-looking face, wearing the same black leather coat 1st class soldier outfit with silver pauldrons on his shoulders and long black leather pants, black leather gloves on his hands and black boots on his legs. Slowly Sephiroth lifted his weary head and glance up at Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina through tired-looking eyes.

"Sephiroth! You're alive!" Cloud exclaimed to him.

"…Who are you all?" Sephiroth said to Cloud.

"You don't remember me!?" said Cloud in an appalled tone of voice while shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm Cloud! And they're Angelina, Tifa and Laina!"

"Cloud, Angelina, Tifa?" Sephiroth repeated their names before he closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Sorry, I don't remember you three but Laina, however… I do remember her."

"What?" said Angelina, slightly hurt then angry that Sephiroth say that to them. " _How could he not remembered us both and Tifa yet remembered Laina?"_ thought Angelina to herself.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled at him angrily. "What are you thinking!? What are you doing!?"

Sephiroth ignored and didn't answer his questions as he lifted his head and opened his eyes (which doesn't look tired anymore) to looked around the interior of the engine room instead of them. "… the time… is now…" said Sephiroth to himself.

"What!? What are you saying!?" Cloud demanded to Sephiroth. "Be more…"

Cloud's words was abruptly cut off when Sephiroth suddenly flew forward toward all four of them with amazing speed and he zipped past and through them with such a huge force that they all got knocked back heavily away from him and crashed against various corners of the wall and floor of the engine room. Sephiroth then flew upward toward the ceiling of the engine room and dropped something down toward them before he went through the ceiling and vanished from the room. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina groaned from the pain of Sephiroth's impact before they all stood up and approach the thing which Sephiroth purposely dropped for them. They saw that it is some kind of bluish-grey fleshy tentacle arm which is alive and which seems to have been cut off from something.

"What is this arm thing?" said Tifa in a shaken voice while she felt her heartbeat quicken in fear.

"It looks like…" Laina began saying before a look of horror/realisation appear on her face and she quickly turned and pushed Cloud, Angelina and Tifa away from the arm thing. "Get back!" yelled Laina.

"What…" said Angelina as she glance at Laina pushing her (and Cloud and Tifa) away from the arm thing with a shocked look on her face before it change into a horror/disgust look when she saw the arm thing suddenly began to burst open without warning, oozing out some kind of thick blackish-purple fume and blood into the air and onto the floor of the engine room before it began to transform and expanded rapidly in front of them into a huge creature which almost reached the top of the ceiling of the engine room.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina saw that the huge, tall creature now standing before them (after the blackish-purple fume dispersed away from it) had a thick, rubbery pale purplish-white body which is deformed beyond humanly possible. It's shoulders is quite wide and elongated with huge, sharp-tipped curving claws behind its shoulders, one rubbery, pale purplish-white arm below its right shoulder while its other arm looked like it had been ripped forcefully away from it, showing only its inner strands of dark purplish flesh which twitch/wiggle around. It's lower, thin body looked like it's wearing a pale, fleshy dress with two dark purplish tails swaying slowly back and forth behind it and its head and face (which is long, thin and bony) is set in a long, craned neck while its slitted, menacing black-coloured eyes looked down on Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina with disdain. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina pulled their swords and fighter gloves out in their hands in preparation to fight it.

The huge creature (named Jenova-BIRTH) saw them with their weapons ready in their hands and it let out a loud, furious screech at them which had Cloud, Angelina and Tifa raised their hands to covered their ears from it, except for Laina (who only winced from it). She raised Geneva Saber before her, pressed her forehead on it and closed her eyes in concentration for her "Exodus Blades" limit break and the next second, deep slash wounds appear on various parts of Jenova-BIRTH body and arm and it let out a loud, screech of pain while the wounds on its body began to bleed out greenish-black coloured blood.

Jenova-BIRTH ceased its screech of pain, glance away from Laina and it raised its right arm at both Cloud and Angelina and they saw its arm began to glowed brightly before a thin, straight line of piercing blue light zipped toward them and they both quickly dodged away from it. The piercing blue light struck the floor where they had just stood and they all saw that the floor began to melt and sizzle from it. Both Cloud and Angelina glance away from the melting/sizzling floor at Jenova-BIRTH and they charge toward it with their Buster sword and naginata in their hands and they uses their limit breaks "Climhazzard" and "Vile Strike" on it, causing two more deep, slash wounds to appear on its body. Jenova-BIRTH screech again in pain before it swung its two dark, purplish tails at all four of them and Cloud, Angelina and Laina managed to jumped over/dodged away from it except for Tifa. Its two tails struck her body heavily (which make her cry out in pain) and sent her flying away from them and it before she crashed against the wall of the engine room and fell face-down onto the floor, unconscious.

"TIFA!" yelled Cloud, Angelina and Laina worriedly before Laina quickly turned away from Jenova-BIRTH and run toward Tifa, kneel down near her and pulled out a Cura materia to casted its healing effects on her. Both Cloud and Angelina glance away from Tifa and Laina to glared darkly at Jenova-BIRTH and they charge and lifted their sword and naginata above them, jumped over its two tails which it use to swung at them again and they swung their sword and naginata down on its two tails and cut them off. Jenova-BIRTH screech in anger at them both and they saw that it raised its right arm which began to glowed brightly, ready to use its laser attack on them again.

"Oh no, you don't! You monster!" Angelina snarled at it before she charge toward it, jumped up with her naginata raised above her head until she's reached its right shoulder and swung her naginata down on it, cutting its long, right arm cleanly off and it fell with a thud sound onto the floor, allowing more greenish-black blood to bleed out of the hole where its right arm use to be onto the floor. Angelina landed on the floor, glance up at Jenova-BIRTH which began to screech/writhed in pain from its body/arm wounds and smirked at it. Angelina then put her naginata back behind her and began to cast Fira magic on it several times until its nearly dead and Cloud then charge toward it, jumped up with his Buster sword raised above his head and he swung it down on Jenova-BIRTH long, craned neck, beheading it. After Cloud cut its head off and it fell to the floor, Jenova-BIRTH headless and heavily wounded body shuddered violently before them for a few minutes before more thick greenish-black blood and thick fume which is the same colour as its blood oozes out of its wounds, covered its body completely and they all saw the creature headless/wounded body began to disintegrate and getting smaller until it reverted back to the bluish-grey fleshy tentacle arm from before they begin fighting, now lying dead and motionless. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Tifa (who woke up now and thanked Laina for healing her) approach the dead bluish-grey fleshy tentacle arm and glance down at it, all four of them thinking the same, uneasy thoughts.

"We've seen this arm from somewhere… before." said Tifa to Cloud, Angelina and Laina.

"Yeah, Tifa." said Laina as she nodded grimly. "This arm is part of the creature woman which had awaken and escaped from Shinra company."

"…Jenova." said Cloud in a low voice as he kneel down to see the dead arm closely. "The arm of Jenova."

"But still… we didn't see he carrying it with him." said Angelina.

"Really, Angelina?" said Laina as she gave Angelina an "Are-you-that-dense" look on her face. "Just because we didn't see him carrying it with him doesn't mean that it's not there."

"So are you saying that its invisible, Laina?" said Angelina as she glance at Laina.

"Probably." replied Laina grimly.

"So… that man just now WAS Sephiroth." said Cloud as he stood up and turned to his left, glancing at the wall with an almost blank look on his face.

"He also said that the time is now." said Tifa as she remembered the painful memories of what Sephiroth had taken from her and done to her 5, 6 years ago before she came to Midgar and she clench both of her gloved hands tightly and angrily.

"…Time… is now?" said Cloud, repeating Sephiroth's previous words which make absolutely no sense to them.

"It sounds like he's planning something big. Something which we don't know about." said Laina as she crossed her arms.

"You might be right, Laina." said Cloud as he take a deep breath and turned his back on all three of them. "Sephiroth, he went off in search of the Promised Land, so that he could become the rightful ruler of the Planet… That was 5, 6 years ago. Then Sephiroth came back and killed President Shinra." Cloud turned back around to glance at them. "And then just now all of us saw Sephiroth. He was carrying Jenova with him even though we can't see it… That's all we know so far. He told me, Angie and Laina that he wants to go to the Promised Land with his mother, Jenova. And that's about all I can say."

Right after Cloud finished telling them, the same mechanical voice which alerted them about the suspicious character minutes ago crackled to life, making Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina to glance up and looked around the engine room anxiously.

"Dock workers- we'll be docking in Costa Del Sol in 5 minutes. Prepare for docking." said the mechanical voice until it lapsed into silence and all four of them sighed in relieved.

"I think that we should all leave now." Said Angelina as she glance at Cloud, Tifa and Laina. "Before we or the others on the upper deck get caught by Shinra soldiers, infantrymens or Turks again."

"Right, Angie." said Tifa, nodded her head in agreement to Angelina. "Let's go."

Both Angelina and Tifa then went out through the engine room door. Laina waited for Cloud and saw him kneeling down and picking up another red summon materia (Ifrit materia) which dropped out from Jenova after its death. Cloud then walked toward Laina and the opened door and the both of them went through it, following behind both Angelina and Tifa as they walked up the stairs.

" _Sephiroth… is alive…"_ thought Cloud gravely to himself. " _The Promised Land… Does it truly exist…?"_


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: Costa Del Sol**

Not long after their battle against Jenova's arm inside the engine room on the Shinra ship and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina rejoined with the others waiting anxiously for them on the upper deck of the ship before all of them (including the sailors and Shinra soldiers/infantrymens) soon saw the popular port town/holiday resorts of Costa Del Sol (famous for its sunny beaches and clear, blue ocean) far on the opposite side of Junon Harbor/City where the two continent connected via one main ship/sea line. The Shinra ship turned around and pulled itself backward into the Costa Del Sol dock before the ship's captain lowered the anchor hanging against the side of the ship's right frame into the ocean water so that it would kept the ship from drifting out of the dock and off into the ocean.

After all the sailors and Shinra soldiers/infantrymens left the Shinra ship and out of Cloud and his friends/companions sight, they (Barret, Aeris, Kunsel, Red XIII and Yuffie) quickly shed and toss away the Shinra uniforms and sailor outfits (except for Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina) which they wore over their regular clothes before they quickly and quietly ran down the ship's staircase, went through a door and onto the dock before either Heidegger or Rufus could spotted and catch them (all of them were immensely glad to feel the warmth of the sun shining down on their bodies and which relieved the cramp feelings they all had while on the ship, most of all Yuffie, who no longer feel seasick). After a few seconds, Cloud and his group began to sweat profusely, their relieved feeling of standing and savoring the warmth of the sun above them soon dissipated.

"Damn! Sure is hot here!" exclaimed Barret as he raised his left arm to wiped the trickling sweats away from his face. "But I sure feel a whole lot better now that I can say goodbye to this sailor suit."

"I agree with you on that, Barret." Tifa said to him with a dark look on her face. "I despised that Shinra infantryman outfit I wore on the ship just now."

Barret nodded to her before he turned to glance at the others near him. "Yo, listen up! Y'all be sure to mingle like normal, regular folks here!"

Both Laina (who took off her velvet-blue long coat and folded it under her left arm due to the hot sun) and Angelina rolled their eyes at Barret's words while Aeris stepped closer to Barret's left with a sly smile on her face. "Oh, that's too bad." said Aeris in a teasing tone to Barret. "I liked Barret's sailor suit. He looked so cute in it."

Barret turned to Aeris and scowled darkly at her before he looked away from her to glared at Cloud, Kunsel, Red XIII (who turned their heads away to stifled their laughs with the back of their hands/paws), Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Yuffie (who chuckled at Barret) then glared back at her (who also chuckled at him). "… What'ya mean "cute"?"

"Why don't you use the sailor suit for your pajamas, Barret?" Tifa suggested to Barret before she glance at both Cloud and Angelina. "Right, Cloud, Angie?"

"Yeah, Tifa, you're right." said Angelina with a sly smile on her face. "He totally look like a huge dark brown-coloured bear wearing a pristine white-coloured marshmallow suit." Both Angelina and Tifa chuckled once again (which make Barret even more mad).

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Barret growled at both Angelina and Tifa. "It just happens to be the only outfit that I can wear comfortably while on the ship, so you two quit laughin'!"

But his words only make them both chuckled even more and Laina sighed and shake her head at them both. "Will you two stop picking on poor Barret? He looked like a live volcano which is about to erupt any second."

"Sorry, Laina." said Angelina as she ceased chuckling and wipe some tears away from her eyes (due to chuckling too much). "But it's just hilarious."

"Will you all give it a rest already?" said Cloud sternly to them all. "Remember that we're after Sephiroth so all of you, keep your mind on him. We're not here to have vacation. I'm going on ahead." Cloud then turned to his right and began walking away from them.

"Hmmph, Cloud. You're the one, who's always hangin' around wastin' time." scoffed Barret and Cloud halted in his tracks and turned around to glared at Barret, who ignored him.

"…puff…puff… Would you all kindly hurry?" panted Red XIII heavily as he crouch his body very low onto the dock ground. "The heat here is drying my nose."

"Yeah, mine, too!" said Yuffie suddenly, agreeing with Red XIII.

Cloud glance at both Red XIII and Yuffie, sighed and nodded his head. "Fine then. We'll take a break here and then we headed off. Don't all of you wandered too far off."

"I'm going to skip this resort!" Barret snapped suddenly at them before he turned to the right, ran off away from them and the dock, up a short yellow-coloured concrete staircase far to their right and toward the town.

"It looks like my mane got messed up. I'm going into the town to see if I can find and rest somewhere cooling." Red XIII told Cloud and the others before he turned around and crawled away from them.

"Don't any of you bother looking for me!" Yuffie exclaimed to them before she quickly turned away from them and ran off.

Cloud sighed again before he glance at Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Aeris and Kunsel, who also glance at him and all six of them quickly turned to their right, ran away from the dock, up the concrete staircase to their right and into the town.

XXXX

Seconds after Cloud and his friends/companions left the dock and into the town, a Shinra helicopter came flying from the right in the air toward the dock and flew over it before it slowly lowering itself onto the helipad ground at the far left end of the dock, near a tall, light brown-coloured lighthouse. After the Shinra helicopter landed on the helipad ground, the door to the ship opened outward again and both Rufus and Heidegger walked slowly out of the ship, along with both Crisis and Phemie following behind them and two sailors following behind both Crisis and Phemie.

"What a long ship ride that was!" exclaimed the first sailor to the other sailor next to him who nodded as the first sailor take a deep breath of the fresh air of Costa Del Sol.

"Hmmm…" said Rufus thoughtfully while he take a look around the dock for a certain group of people and saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Good work, everyone…" Rufus said to the two sailors and to both Crisis and Phemie and they all nodded to him before he glared at Heidegger.

"Gya, heh, heh…, ha!" Heidegger laughed quite nervously when he noticed Rufus giving him a hard glare out of the corner of his eyes and glance at the helicopter far to the left of them. "Hurry up with that!" Heidegger yelled at the pilot sitting inside the Shinra helicopter.

"Yes sir!" the pilot yelled back slightly nervously before he began starting the helicopter up for taking off again.

Satisfied that the pilot is working to start the helicopter up for them, Heidegger turned to glance at Rufus, silently hoping that his mood is much improved now but to his dismay, his mood didn't improve at all. He still had the same hard glare look on his face.

"I heard that Sephiroth was on board the ship." Rufus said to Heidegger as he turned to looked away from him.

"…Yes." replied Heidegger in a small voice while he lowered his head in shame.

"And he's not the only one. It seems that Cloud and the others were also on board the ship too." Rufus added to him while unnoticed to the both of them, both Crisis and Phemie exchange glances with each other.

" _My sister's was on the ship?"_ thought Phemie to herself. _"Then that means that the infantryman I've been talking to is…"_

" _So, Laina, you and your friends managed to slip through our fingers this time."_ thought Crisis to himself. " _But you and your friends won't be so lucky the next time we meet."_

"…Yes." said Heidegger again.

"They all slipped through…" said Rufus as he narrowed his eyes at Heidegger while he lifted his right hand to flicked a lock of his blonde hair behind his ear. "You messed up big this time, Heidegger."

"I'm ashamed of myself." said Heidegger in a pitiful/pathetic tone of voice.

"Is that all you can say and do…?" said Rufus in disgust at Heidegger, who take a few steps back from him. "Give one word answers and apologize for everything? As if."

Heidegger looked away from Rufus and didn't say anything.

"President Rufus!" yelled the pilot's voice. "The helicopter is ready for departure, sir!"

Rufus glance away from Heidegger to the pilot, nodded grimly to him before he glance over his shoulder at both Crisis and Phemie. "Come, you two." Both Crisis and Phemie nodded before they followed after Rufus as he walked past Heidegger. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around to glance past Crisis and Phemie's shoulders at Heidegger's back.

"…Do something about it, Heidegger. I'll be expecting results from you." Rufus told Heidegger harshly before he turned around again, headed toward the helicopter and he opened the door and went into it, with both Crisis and Phemie followed suit after him and Crisis close the door behind him.

After Rufus and his two Turks bodyguards went into the helicopter, Heidegger turned to glared at the two unfortunate sailors standing at the edge of the dock near the ship and he run toward them both, intending to unleash his anger on them. He pushed the two unfortunate sailors roughly into the ocean water, who cried out before they landed with large splashes in the ocean water. After Heidegger pushed the unfortunate sailors into the ocean water, he turned his attention toward a group of guys in swimming trunks who watched the scene from their boats and they panicked and run straight into the safety of their cabins in their boats when Heidegger charge toward them. Heidegger stopped in front of their boats, shakes his fists angrily and decided to cursed them instead. The sound of the helicopter blades turning on far behind him make him stopped his cursing and he turned around to see the helicopter slowly rise up from the helipad ground and into the air before it turned to its right and flew off away from Heidegger and Costa Del Sol, leaving him behind.

XXXX

As Cloud and his group crossed a bright, yellow-coloured bridge with brown-coloured woods in the middle of it which led from the dock and is connected with a huge and luxurious looking two-storey villa with creamy, light brown-coloured walls and orange-coloured roof in front of them (with the words Costa Del Sol in large, black-coloured writings next to a door), went down another set of staircase attached against the villa's wall into the streets of Costa Del Sol, they were quite amazed by the sight of it (except for Laina, who came here once before 5, 6 years ago). Unlike the dark and dreary city of Midgar and lower port town of Junon Harbor or even the lonely, quiet and slightly peaceful town of Kalm, Costa Del Sol was a bright, vibrant and lively town (completely untouched by Shinra and their mako reactors), filled with men in swimming trunks and women in swimsuits/bikinis (and some of them in clothes too), enjoying the sun, foods, drinks and sight.

Cloud and his group then headed deeper into the town of Costa Del Sol, walked past a building with a doorless entrance (with a staircase inside leading up to the second floor) with a single huge word "Bar" next to it written in black (Kunsel broke away from them and went into the bar for some food and drink), they soon saw Red XIII lying asleep under the shadow of another villa roof, which blocked the sun's ray from shining on him (while two kids, a boy wearing a white T-shirt and grey shorts and a girl wearing a short, pink dress is kicking a football back and forth to each other without the ball hitting Red XIII). They also saw Yuffie standing behind a stall which sells some common materia and helping an almost bald-headed guy in his early forties (who's wearing a light, brown-coloured business suit) to sell the materia to any customers who passed by. As Cloud and his group approach the stall (while making their way past a small crowd which gathered before the materia stall), Cloud noticed that even though Yuffie is helping the guy, she still managed to steal/slipped some materia from the table and put them into her pockets (Laina decided to stay near the stall to keep an eye on Yuffie).

Cloud and his group then left Laina behind and they walked down yet another staircase to their right which leads to the beach. Once they stepped off the stairs and standing on the beach (filled with people lounging/sitting back on their chairs to enjoy the sun, sitting under the huge blue/white stripe umbrellas to avoid it or swimming in the ocean), both Aeris and Tifa saw something across the beach from them and the others and they quickly turned to glance at Cloud.

"Oh! Cloud!" said Aeris.

"Look, look over there!" said Tifa as she raised and pointed her finger across the beach at something.

Cloud looked across the beach to where Tifa's pointing her finger with Angelina (and Barret) looking as well and both he and Angelina widened their eyes in surprise when they saw a familiar-looking man with glasses on his pale face, long, slick black hair tied up into a ponytail behind his head and wearing a white lab-coat over a dark, grey T-shirt and long, brown pants is sitting/relaxing back on his beach chair with three girls in swimsuits/bikinis standing or sitting on the beach near him.

"Cloud, isn't that man over there is who we think it is?" said Angelina as she narrowed her eyes at the man.

"Yeah, Angie." said Cloud, narrowing his eyes as well. "It's Hojo."

"Cloud, why don't you go over there and talked to him?" Tifa said to Cloud and before he could say anything, she went behind his back and pushed him forward. Cloud sighed and went toward Hojo with both Angelina and Aeris who decides to followed behind him (both Barret and Tifa stay where they are to watched).

" _At least Laina isn't here with us. If she saw Hojo, she'll be consumed with hatred and slaughter him in front of all this beach people and she'd probably don't care about it."_ thought Angelina to herself.

As Cloud, Angelina and Aeris approach Hojo and the three girls in bikinis/swimsuits, one of them looked up and noticed Cloud, Angelina and Aeris standing near them and she rolled her eyes.

"God!" said the girl in a sarcastic tone of voice to them. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk with that man." Cloud said to the girl in a "brook-no-argument" tone of voice while he pointed a finger at Hojo.

"Hey, who do you think you are?" the girl demanded as she stood up and scowled darkly at Cloud, who responded by glaring back at her until she sighed and turned to glance down at Hojo. "Professor Hojo, this scary-looking guy here says that he wanted to talk to you."

"You tell him that I'm busy right now." Hojo told the swimsuit girl without looking at her before he turned to his right and continue his resting/sunbathing.

"Oh, really? Well, too bad for you, Hojo!" snapped Angelina as she crossed her arms and glared down at Hojo's back.

Hojo heard what Angelina said and he slowly turned back to glance up at them clearly. "No, I remember you all now… " said Hojo to them before he sat upright on his beach chair. "Yes, that's right. I remember clearly now. It's been quite a while since we last met back in Shinra company, Cloud. And I see that you brought your friends with you too."

"Hojo…" said Cloud in an angry tone of voice to him.

"What are you doing here, Hojo?" asked Angelina as she continue glaring at him.

"Isn't it obvious, missy?" replied Hojo with a smirk on his face. "I'm getting a tan."

"Answer the question!" Cloud snapped at him (at this time, both Barret and Tifa decided to joined them in talking to him).

"Hmmm! So impatient. Very well, then." said Hojo disdainfully at Cloud. "I believe that me and you and your group are after the same goal."

"You mean Sephiroth?" said Cloud.

"Did you and your friends see him?" Hojo asked as he turned to glance up at him.

"Yeah, we did see him." replied Angelina. "He was on the ship and he carried Jenova's body with him, even though we can't see it."

"I see…" said Hojo as he lapsed into silence then suddenly, he stood up from his beach chair and began sniggering silently to himself in front of them (while waving the bikinis/swimsuit girls to go away with his right arm), making Cloud, Angelina and Aeris looked at Hojo in bewilderment.

"What's so funny?" Cloud demanded angrily at Hojo.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that I suddenly remembered a certain hypothesis…" said Hojo as he turned to his left away from Cloud, Angelina and Aeris for a few seconds before turning back to glance at them. "Tell me, Cloud. Have you ever had the feeling that something is calling/talking to you? Or that you had to go and visit a certain, unknown place somewhere…?"

Both Cloud and Angelina heard what Hojo says and they lowered their heads as they thought back to the unknown male voice who would sometimes spoke to them in their heads. They decided to not tell him about it and lifted their heads to glared at him again.

"We'll go anywhere Sephiroth is at!" Cloud growled at him while he clenches his fists angrily. "To defeat him and put an end to all this!"

"I see…" said Hojo as he clasped his hands behind him in joy. "This could be interesting. Were you in SOLDIER? Heh, heh, heh! How would you like to be my test subject?"

That statement of his pushed both Cloud and Angelina's anger over the deep end in their minds and they both reached for their Buster Sword and naginata behind their backs, ready to pull it out and killed him off.

"Oh, now what?" said Hojo as he noticed that both Cloud and Angelina were ready to killed him. "Are you two seriously going to draw out your weapons here, in front of all this people?"

"Yo, you two!" Barret protested to them both. "It's a bad idea to kill him here."

Both Cloud and Angelina turned their heads away from Hojo to glared at Barret, but they knew that he's right about it. So as much as they both wanted to kill him right here, right now, they couldn't bring themselves to do it in front of innocent peoples. Hojo began laughing in joy when he saw that both Cloud and Angelina had decided to not kill him until he saw Aeris standing behind Angelina.

"Say, aren't you the "Ancient" girl?" Hojo asked Aeris.

"I'm Aeris Gainsborough!" said Aeris in an annoyed tone of voice as she glance at Hojo. "The least you can do is remember my name. Also, I want you to tell me something, Professor Hojo…"

"And what is it you wanted to ask me?" said Hojo.

"I know that I'm an "Ancient". My mother told me." Aeris told him.

"Your mother?" said Hojo in confusion for a few minutes before he remembered. "Oh, you mean Ifalna. How is she?"

"You mean you didn't know!?" said Aeris in a shocked tone of voice. "She passed away years ago."

Hojo was shocked to hear her say that and the smirking look on his face abruptly faded away to give way to an almost pity/sad look before he turned to glance away from her and the others. "… I see." said Hojo.

"Professor Hojo…" said Aeris as she glance at his back. "Is Jenova an Ancient? Is Sephiroth an Ancient? Do they have the same blood as me?"

Hojo heard what she said but he didn't turned around to answer her questions, instead he began mumbling in a small voice to himself and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Aeris and Barret only managed to hear two words clearly from him.

"…Head west…" mumbled Hojo.

"He's mumbling slowly…" said Aeris, glancing at Cloud. "That means that he's hiding something!"

Hojo finally turned back to looked at them blankly for a few seconds before he sat back down on his beach chair without saying anymore words to them.

"Hey! Answer us!" demanded Tifa angrily at Hojo.

"…It's no use already." said Cloud as he turned around to glance at them with a dismay sigh. "We won't get anything more out of him now."

"But…" Tifa began saying and got cut off by Angelina.

"Cloud's right, Tifa." said Angelina. "Let's rejoined with the others and get out of this town."

Tifa sighed in dismay and nodded to Angelina. Cloud and his group then turned to their left and went up the stairs, away from the beach (and Hojo) back into the town and they soon saw Yuffie hiding in fear behind Laina while Laina try to pacify/reason with the bald-headed guy (who finally realised that Yuffie's been stealing some of his materia from the table and wanted to punish her for it) from punishing/scolding Yuffie and she succeeded somehow before he turned and walked away from them both (and saying that he never want to see them both again, especially Yuffie).

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Aeris and Barret (who decided to not tell Laina about them seeing and talking to Hojo on the beach minutes ago) then walked toward both Laina and Yuffie (who rejoined with them) before they went to looked for both Red XIII (who still lying asleep under the shadow of the villa roof and Tifa gently woke him up) and Kunsel (Laina break away from the group to went up the stairs into the bar's second floor, saw him and dragged him by his left arm out of the bar building after he's done eating and drinking). After everyone has gathered together, Cloud and his group then turned to their left and they walked through the underside of the bridge (which led from the dock and is connected with a villa), out and away from the vibrant, lively town of Costa Del Sol and heading west.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Heading to Mt Corel and North Corel**

After Cloud and his group left the town of Costa Del Sol and walked across the greenish, grassy lands of Costa plains toward the dark, green-coloured mountains of Corel which is to the south of the northern part of the continent (while at the same time they saw a clear river of pristine water flowing down from the mountains straight into the vast ocean which separates them from the rest of the southern part and on the other side of the river. Cloud and his group could see another large stretch of grassy land with a large patch of desert land in the middle of it where a tall and gigantic gold-coloured building standing in the middle of the desert land looking like a giant, golden flower with a number of round-shaped, gold leaves sticking out from its sides. They could also see two, large white-coloured cable lines coming/stretching from one of the golden "leaves" down toward the mountains opposite it.) Once they approach and standing before the entrance edge of a rocky, dirt path which leads up to the dark, green-coloured mountains of Corel, they decided to rest for a while on the grassy ground near the entrance before heading up the path to the mountains. During their long walk from the town of Costa Del Sol to the mountains, Cloud, Angelina and Laina noticed that Barret has been acting all strange and dismissive to them (even detaching himself from them and walking a short distance at the back of the group).

"What's wrong with you, Barret?" Laina asked him as she turned her head to glance at him. "You've been acting kind of strange now. Even since we left Costa Del Sol."

"It's none of your business, woman!" snapped Barret as he glance at her with an annoyed/angry look on his face before he stood up from the grassy ground he's sitting on and glared down at the others. "Are we going up to the mountain path now or what?"

Cloud, Angelina and Laina sighed at his "not-so-kindly" attitude to them and they all stood up before they began walking up the long and rocky, dirt path of the mountains (where they had to fight several Grangalan monsters which is a major pain in the ass since it has the ability to spawned smaller Grangalan monsters out of its body, some six-legged Bagnadrana monsters and some Search Crown mushroom monsters), walked across a short yet sturdy wooden bridge which connects between one part of the path/mountain cliffside to another opposite it, walked down the rocky, dirt path down the mountains and walked on toward a slightly smaller dark, green-coloured mountain where they could see another path which leads up to the top.

Just like before, Cloud and his group climbed/walked up the dirt path where they saw plenty of trees and grasses grow on either side of the path on the mountain. The dirt ground was quite soft under their feet despite small patches of grass that grew up across the path with some semi-large rocks partially buried in the dirt path on the mountain (Cloud and his group had to jumped over the rocks to avoid getting tripped and fell down). As they continue climbing/walking up the path, they were quite surprised to see a bald-headed elderly man wearing a white T-shirt with long, green pants is sitting with his back against a large rock behind him (probably a traveler resting from climbing/walking up the mountain like them), his eyes closed as he hummed a soft tune to himself. Cloud and his group then approach the man who ceased his humming before he opened his eyes and saw them all.

"Well, hey there, you all." the man greeted pleasantly to them.

"Uh, hi." replied Aeris politely to him.

"You're actually talking to me, huh?" said the man as he smiled at Aeris then at Cloud and the others.

Cloud turned his head to exchange confused glances with the others before he turned back to glance at the man.

"I guess she did. So what about it?" Cloud asked the man flatly.

"Oh, it's nothing." replied the man with a small shake of his head. "Just that a few minutes ago, I passed by a guy wearing a long, black coat back there."

"A guy wearing a long, black coat?" stammered Angelina as she exchange an apprehensive look at Cloud then at the others.

"Yeah, that's right, missy." said the man to Angelina with a nod of his head.

"Did he say anything to you?" Laina asked the man.

"No, he completely ignored me! Even when I tried to tell/warn him that's it's very dangerous up ahead! That foolish guy…" the man grumbled to Laina before he lapsed into silence.

"Sephiroth…" said Cloud as he turned around to glance at all of them, confirming their thoughts that Sephiroth did passed by this way. Cloud and his group then thanked the man for his information and he told them to be careful before they continue walking/climbing up the mountain path, hoping that they could somehow catch up to Sephiroth before he disappear/slipped through their fingers. But as Cloud and his group hurried on the mountain path, they neglected to notice the dull, withered-looking trees, the dead, gray-shades of the rocks on the ground which is rapidly devoid of life, as though something had sucked the life out of them. The main reason for it showed itself when Cloud and his group reached the top of the path, stopped their climbing/running and looked down into the deep crevice below and saw it (and at the same time finally noticed how dry and almost dead-looking the trees, rocks and ground was around and under them).

It was another of Shinra's Mako Reactor which is built deep within the heart of Mt. Corel (and completely devoid of Shinra soldiers/infantrymens), in the place where it was once a busy, popular mining spot for Corel miners with their pickaxes and trolleys who would dig up coals from within several tunnels which is dug into the sides of Mt. Corel to be taken back to their homeland to use or sell off to other towns. That is until Shinra company discovered Mako energy and started building Mako reactors years ago which replaces coal energy and causing all the Corel miners to lose their jobs, coals and their land.

Cloud and his group turned their heads to look at Barret, saw him glaring darkly down at the Mako Reactor for a while before he turned to his left away from the others and began to stormed his way down a metallic bridge which led toward the Mako Reactor. They silently watched him go down the metallic bridge before they followed after him. The metallic bridge which Cloud and his group walked on wound its way around the outer perimeter of the reactor so they had no choice but to walked closely to the reactor's entrance until they reached the railway road lying in front of the reactor's entrance and they all walked across it, away from the reactor.

Cloud and his group walked across the railway road/bridge which swerved into two up and down paths where Mt. Corel ended temporarily with a deep chasm under the railway road/bridge under their feets. And on the railway road/bridge which happened to overlapped with each other, there were many spot holes on it which were broken apart with age (they had to jumped over the broken spots to avoid falling down to their death in the deep chasm under them while at the same time collect some items lying in several treasure boxes on the railway road/bridge like Wizard Staff for Aeris, W Machine-gun for Barret, Star Pendant, Turbo Ether and Transform materia). After they walked across the railway road/bridge and went down the lower part of the railway road/bridge path standing above the river, they saw that the bridge (which turns out to be a drawbridge) in front of them had been lifted up and cut off, preventing them from going forward.

"Great, now what?" grumbled Yuffie.

"Now we need to think of a way to get this drawbridge to go down and formed a path so that we can continue on." said Kunsel as he crossed his arms.

"There's a small, wooden hut over there." Red XIII said to the others as he saw the small, wooden hut attached against the edge of the railway road/bridge opposite the railway road/bridge they're now standing on which wound against a rocky cliff far from them, with the faint outline of a control machine slightly visible through a small window. "There's a mechanism in there that could probably manipulate the drawbridge to make it go down."

"Hey, you're right, Red XIII." said Tifa as she glance at the small, wooden hut and saw the control machine inside the hut as well.

"Alright then, let's all head toward that hut!" said Cloud in an encouraging tone of voice to the others and received sounds of groaning and complaints from them (mostly from Yuffie, Red XIII and Tifa). Cloud turned around to glance at them and saw that they were now sitting down on the railway road/bridge, rubbing their sore ankles and legs with their hands (except for Angelina, Laina and Kunsel), clearly exhausted from all the walking they had been doing from the Costa plains, the rocky, dirt path on the mountains up then down until the railway road/bridge. Cloud sighed and shake his head before he told them that he'll be backtracking the way they came from, back onto the railway road/bridge to find another way to get to the small, wooden hut attached against the edge of the railway road opposite the bridge they're standing/sitting on to operate the control machine in the hut. But Laina shook her head at him and told him that she'll do it while he stayed with the others instead and turned around and left before he or the others could say anything to stopped her.

XXXX

Laina walked up the lower part of the railway road/bridge, turned to her left and walked across the upper part of the railway road/bridge towards the small wooden hut with the machine inside which she (and the others waiting for her) hoped would lowered the drawbridge.

As she walked across the railway road/bridge which stands slightly above the lower railway road/bridge opposite her, she noticed out of the corner of her eyes that Cloud and the others had spotted her and they began cheering/shouting words of encouragement to her as she kept on running toward the small wooden hut.

" _Now that I approach and look closer at it, it looked more like a shack instead of a hut."_ Laina thought to herself and without thinking/hesitating, she run straight into the small, wooden hut and bumped her head against the roof of the small, wooden hut while her left knee knocked against the control machine inside it.

"OW! Dammit!" Laina cursed loudly as she rubbed her now pained head and knees with her hands for a few seconds before the pain subsided (thanks to the Jenova cells inside her, in a way). "Sure is really crammed in here…" said Laina to herself as she looked at the inside of the small, wooden hut around her before she looked down at the control machine (which is a metal, grey table with a semi-large metal, grey box on it which had an old, dusty grey wheel on the box) in front of her.

"Let's see now… maybe if I turned this grey wheel around, something should happen." said Laina again to herself as she placed both of her hands on the grey wheel and try to turn it. At first it didn't budged then she put more strength/effort onto it and slowly it began to turn around with a slightly high-pitch screech sound. After she succeeded in turning the grey wheel, she heard the sound of the drawbridge shuddering outside and she turned and run out of the small, wooden hut and saw the two halves of the drawbridge began to lowered itself down until it connected together to make it whole. She saw Angelina, Aeris, Tifa and Yuffie began to cheer together again before they (and Cloud, Kunsel, Barret and Red XIII) all stood up and began to run across the bridge. Not wanting to backtrack the long way across the upper then lower part of the railway road/bridge to joined up with the others, Laina decided to walked toward the edge of the railway road/bridge she's standing on and jumped down from it. She landed safely on the lower part of the railway road/bridge and joined up with Cloud and the others.

XXXX

Cloud and his group ran on round the side of Mt. Corel (after Laina jumped down from the edge of the upper railway road/bridge and joined up with them) and they run on until they reached a long, rope bridge which stretched over/across another deep chasm on the mountains until it lowered itself towards a ledge near the foot of the opposite, final mountain. They then walked down and across the long, rope bridge and Barret moved hurriedly ahead of the group in a silent/briskly manner, ignoring their protests for him to slow down and waited for them. Soon he reached the other end of the rope bridge and ran off further ahead of them until he's out of their sight.

Cloud and his group then reached the other end of the rope bridge, stepped onto the bottom ledge of Mt. Corel and they began to walked down the dirt path before the long, rope bridge which headed out towards the plains while they searched for Barret and when they turned a corner, they saw Barret standing just a few metres in front of them in a very unkempt place filled with a few rundown houses made out of large rocks and rubbles, old, shabby, yellowish and dirty-looking tents made out of old cloths (which looked like they're barely able to keep out the rain and many rusted-looking empty gas tanks lying everywhere in the place). Barret's standing between two of the tents and is looking down at three men standing before him, all three of them wearing faded blue-coloured jumpsuits and had dark, angry looks on each of their faces. As Cloud and his group watched on, one of the three men took a few steps forward toward Barret, clench his right hand into a fist, raised and punched Barret's face hard (which make Tifa, Aeris and Yuffie gasped in shocked). Barret's face tilted to the side from the force of the man's punch and the man lowered his clench fist and stepped back from Barret, who glance back at them blankly.

"Well, lookey here!" said the man who punched Barret in a mocking/angry tone of voice. "Never thought that I'd ever see your face again. Those people over there behind you, are they with you?"

"…Yeah." said Barret in a small voice, unable to bring himself to look at them and lowered his head to stared down at the ground.

"Well, I feel sorry for 'em!" spat the second man angrily at Barret. "Hangin' around a walkin' death sentence like _you_!"

"Hey!" snapped Tifa when she heard what the guy says to Barret and as she's about to go forward to reprimand the three men who's now jeering/scolding/insulting him, both Cloud and Angelina hold out their arms in front of Tifa and shook their heads, telling her to not interfere.

"You got a lot of balls comin' back here! Look at this place!" said the third man angrily at Barret while he turned around sharply and gestured with his hand at the unkempt land, houses, tents and the people behind him and his two angry friends. "It's all your fault that "North Corel" got turn into this garbage heap!" the third man then looked back at Barret, who still didn't say anything. "Well, why doncha say something!? Or did you forget what you done here already?"

Barret slowly lifted his head, glance at each of the three, angry-looking men and lowered his head to stared down at the ground again. "… I'm sorry…" Barret apologized to them sincerely.

" _Sorry?_ You're sorry!?" yelled the first man angrily at Barret. "That's all you can say to us for yourself?"

"You ^%$#&!" the second man cursed at Barret. "You ain't even worth our efforts."

"Come on, you two!" said the third man as he turned to his left to glance at his two friends. "Let's not waste our time talkin' to this Techno-Freak!"

The two men nodded in agreement to the third man before all of them gave Barret one final dark glare and they turned around, split up and stormed away from him, back into the garbage heap which they all called North Corel. After they all left, Barret still lingered at the spot he's standing on and staring down at the ground for a while before he heard the footstep sounds of Cloud and the others approaching him from behind and he turned around to glance up at them (and saw that all of them are giving him looks of sympathies and confusions).

"Are you alright?" Aeris asked Barret in a tender tone of voice.

"I'll be fine." replied Barret.

"Why are those men mad at you, Barret?" Angelina asked him.

"You all heard 'em…" said Barret in a small voice. "It's my fault this town was… destroyed…"

And before any of them could say anymore words to him, Barret turned away from them and took off away from them, pass the people of North Corel (who glared up at him when he run passed them) to the far left of North Corel and out of their sight again. Cloud and his group wasted no time in running/following after him. They walked pass the people of North Corel (who also glared up at them as they walked pass), caught up with him and saw that he's standing in a kind of air station place with a large white-coloured sign nearby with the words "Ropeway Station" written in blue ink on it and a large, navy blue-coloured air cab in front of Barret with two enormous propeller blades attached on its left and right sides (while the top of the air cab is attached to two, white-coloured cables) as it stands on the railway tracks which heads away from North Corel.

"Barret, what happened?" Aeris asked him.

Barret turned to looked at her, saw the calming/sympathetic look on her face and eyes and felt a pang of regret slowly rising inside him. "I'm sorry."

"What happened?" Cloud asked him in a slightly harsh/impatient tone of voice and both Angelina and Laina scowled at him before Angelina elbowed his ribs lightly with her arm (which make him winced a little and he scowled at Angelina).

Barret glance away from Aeris to Cloud for a few seconds before he looked away from him, walked toward the closed doorway of the air cab and stand in front of it, his back to them.

"My hometown used to be around here." Barret told them.

"What do you mean "used to"?" asked Red XIII, Laina and Kunsel together.

"It ain't here no more." replied Barret as he turned around to glance at them. "Heard that it got buried… in just 4 years."

"But how could those people say those terrible things to you?" Aeris asked him.

"An' it's my fault. ALL my fault." said Barret as he lowered his head to stared down at the station ground. "… My hometown, Corel's been a coal mining town. It's very dusty but it's also quite calm and poor… A real small town, this one." Barret explained to them and they all listen attentively. "That's the first time the people of Corel and I heard the word "Mako Reactor" mentioned by those damn Shinra people who suddenly came to Corel."

XXXX

 _Inside a square-shaped room with two long, yellow-coloured sofas in the middle of the room with a large, dark-brown coloured cupboard filled with plates, cups, books and other things inside it standing against the wall behind the long sofa, an old fireplace attached against the wall to the left of the room and an old and large faded yellow-coloured carpet lying on the wooden floor, several miner men (who's standing against the wall to the right of the room), Barret (who's standing next to the sofa's right side and had an anxious look on his face), Dyne (a close friend of Barret who had dark, purplish-coloured short hair, a round-shaped face with dark, gray-coloured eyes on it and wearing a white-coloured T-shirt with long, green-coloured pants), the village headman (who's standing next to the sofa's left side) and some visitors who came from Shinra (Director Scarlet and two of her personal escort/bodyguards standing behind her)._

" _What are we going to do?" said the elderly village headman with a sigh as he and the others all stared at Dyne, who sat silently on the sofa with his head lowered to stared down at the floor. "The only one against this plan is Dyne…"_

" _I am definitely against this plan, no matter what!" growled Dyne suddenly as he stood up from the sofa and glance at Director Scarlet and her personal escort/bodyguards with contempt, the village headman with anger/betrayal, Barret and the miner men standing in the room with disappointment. "There's nothing more to talk about with you people if you people are thinking of throwing away our coal! Our coal's been protected for generations. Our fathers, and theirs before them, risked their lives for it. We have no right to throw it all away this easily! For that would be an insult to their memories/legacies!"_

" _But listen, Dyne." Barret began saying in a reasonable tone of voice to Dyne (who turned his head to glance at him), trying to get him to understand. "No one uses coal anymore nowadays. It's the sign that times are changing."_

" _Barret's right, Dyne." said the village headman, agreeing with Barret. "There's isn't a demand for coal anymore. How are we going to prosper and feed our family if we can't make any money?"_

" _That's right." said Scarlet suddenly, cutting off their conversation. "Everything is Mako energy now. Don't you worry about a thing, Dyne. Shinra company will guarantee your livelihood and secure your family future once the Mako Reactor is completed."_

" _Listen, Dyne." said Barret to Dyne with a pleading look on his face. "I don't want my wife, Myrna, to suffer anymore."_

" _I know how you feel, Barret!" Dyne said to Barret, almost yelling at him. "For I feel the same way too, dammit! But even so, I still couldn't give away the coal mines for Mako Reactor!"_

" _Dyne…" said the village headman sadly as he placed a hand on Dyne's left shoulder. "You've got to understand."_

 _Dyne turned his head to glared at the elderly village headman, then at Barret, at the other miners and finally at Director Scarlet (who smiled smugly to herself) and her personal escort/bodyguards. He then closed his eyes, sighed heavily in dismay before he let himself slumped backward down on the sofa and lowered his head to his knees._

 _XXXX_

"And that's how the Corel Mako Reactor was built… and completed." Barret told them. "We all thought that it would bring us an easier life, but we were proven wrong about it. While Dyne and I were both out of the village for a few days, the village of Corel was destroyed and burned down by the Shinra troops. All the townspeople… all my relatives who lived there… Everyone… everything… all gone."

"Shinra troops?" exclaimed Cloud as he glance at Barret in shocked and anger.

"What for!?" exclaimed Angelina, also in shocked and anger.

"There was an explosion at the reactor." Barret told them with narrowed, angry eyes as he remembered the tragedy of his hometown. "Shinra blamed the accident on the people of Corel. Said it was done by a rebel faction."

"That's terrible!" said Tifa, in horror and anger for Shinra company, hating them even more now.

"I can't believe that they would be so callous!" said Aeris in a disgusted tone of voice while shaking her head.

Despicable. Truly despicable." said Red XIII, agreeing with Aeris.

" _Well, at least now I know the reason on why you hate Shinra company so much, Barret."_ thought Laina to herself as she glance at Barret sadly then at the others standing near her. " _Then again, almost all of us here have each of our own reasons to hate Shinra company."_

"Well, I guess that's true." Barret admitted to them. "But more than Shinra, I couldn't forgive myself. If only I haven't gone alone with the building of the reactor, then the village of Corel and its people could still be…"

"Don't blame yourself, Barret." said Tifa in a reassuring tone of voice to Barret. "We were all fooled by the empty promises Shinra told and made for us back then."

"That's why… that's why I get so pissed off!" Barret growled angrily as he lowered his head to glance down at the gun-arm grafted on his left hand. "Not only did they take advantage of me… But I lose my wife, Myrna, too…"

Laina approach Barret and placed a comforting hand on his left shoulder. " _You're not the only one who lose your wife because of Shinra company, Barret. I, too, lose my beloved husband, Zack Fair because of them so I know that pain very well."_ Laina thought sadly and slightly in despair to herself.

They all lapsed into silence until the voice of a woman standing inside a small, metallic hut behind them suddenly called out to them. "Excuse me, all of you! If you want to go to the "Gold Saucer", hurry and get on!"

Cloud glance around at the somber and weary faces of his friends/companions and asked that if they wanted to ride on the Ropeway air cab toward Gold Saucer. Angelina looked at him, smiled and nodded to him. Cloud nodded back to her and they headed toward the air cab, opened the doorway and went into it.

"Dyne was my best friend." said Barret under his breath after both Cloud and Angelina went into the air cab. "We were close ever since we were kids…" Barret lapsed into silence, shake the memory away from his mind before he went through the opened door into the air cab.

"I never knew." said Tifa in a small voice after she and the others watched Barret went into the air cab. "Barret never say a thing…"

"…" said Aeris, Laina, Kunsel and Red XIII in sympathetic silence.

"Well, unlike you all, I'm not sympathizing with Barret!" said Yuffie out loud suddenly behind them, which make Tifa, Aeris and Red XIII jumped a little while both Laina and Kunsel turned around and gave her "How-could-you-say-that" looks on their faces. "He never should have trusted Shinra company…"

After Yuffie say those words, she walked past all of them and went into the air cab. Tifa, Aeris, Laina, Kunsel and Red XIII watched her went into the air cab in silence for a few seconds before Tifa turned to looked at the others with a forced smile on her face.

"Come on, we should better get on!" Tifa told them, trying to sound cheerful/optimistic. They all glance at her, nodded and all five of them quickly went into the air cab which will take them to Gold Saucer. After they're all inside the air cab, the door automatically closed and the two enormous propeller blades attached on both sides of the air cab began to turned on and slowly, the air cab began to leave North Corel, taking them to Gold Saucer.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Heading to Gold Saucer and meet Cait Sith, Nina and reunion with Carter**

Inside the navy, blue-coloured air cab as it headed on toward Gold Saucer, Cloud, Laina, Kunsel, Red XIII, Barret and Angelina were standing/sitting in silence while Tifa, Aeris and Yuffie were pressing themselves against the windows inside the air cab and looking out at the many white, puffy clouds floating in the blue sky and the greenish land below which gradually fell further away/swept past under them as a large patch of yellowish sand land replaced it, covering over the grassy land until nothing but sand remained. Tifa, Aeris and Yuffie then turned their glances away from the sandy land below, looked ahead of them through the windows and soon caught sight of the tall and large building of Gold Saucer.

The Gold Saucer looked absolutely magnificent in their eyes/gazes and now that they're very close to it while standing/sitting inside the air cab, it still looked like a huge, golden-coloured flower with giant golden leaves (and easily towering over Shinra company back at Midgar city or the huge cannon in Junon city). Long, brightly white, yellow and red lights shone out from almost each of the golden leaves sticking out everywhere on Gold Saucer, shining up in the air and reflecting off the golden plating which covered the entire building. As the air cab approach one of the golden leaves theme park to the left of Gold Saucer (with huge bright, myriad neon-coloured words saying "Welcome to Gold Saucer" attached against the wall above the golden leave), Cloud and his group could heard the lively/happy sound of the carnival music and the joyful screams of the people as they played/enjoyed their time inside Gold Saucer (which make Aeris smile brightly and jumped in joy) for only a few seconds before the air cab entered a small, half circular dark tunnel inside the golden leave (which is the entrance). Inside the dark tunnel, the sounds of the music got a little louder as the air cab went into it until it emerged out from the other side of the dark tunnel into the light again, this time within the golden leave theme park.

After the air cab landed and parked itself inside the golden leave theme park, the door to the air cab opened and Cloud and his group stepped out of it and they all take a look around the place while the lively carnival music blared on around them. Both Aeris and Yuffie saw that the tunnel which the air cab came out of is shaped like the head of a dark, pink-coloured Mog and that they had just came out of its gaping mouth while Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel stared with slightly amused looks on their faces (except for Barret, Tifa and Red XIII, who stared around the place in silence) at a man dressed in a big, fat Chocobo outfit as he walked/jumped around the place.

"Wow, can't say that I really envy that guy's job." said Kunsel as he glance at Laina.

"Neither do I, Kunsel." replied Laina with a smile on her face.

"Still, it's quite a cute/hilarious outfit. Don't you think so, Cloud?" said Angelina as she glance at Cloud.

"I guess." replied Cloud.

Cloud and his group then looked away from the Chocobo costume guy and headed away from the air cab toward the orange-coloured entrance (which had a huge, yellow "Welcome" word attached above the entrance and a huge Chocobo statue next to it) with a blonde-haired woman (probably one of Gold Saucer staffs) standing next to it (and in front of the huge, Chocobo statue), wearing a pink T-shirt with a black vest over it, black skirt and black heels on her feet.

"Welcome to the Gold Saucer." The woman greeted them in a cheerful voice. "Are you all together? A single pass is 3000 gil, or you can purchase a lifetime pass for 30000 gil."

Cloud crossed his arms and pondered for a while about the two costs of the two different passes before he turned to glance at the others and discuss with them about it. After their discussion, Cloud and his group then took out the amount of gil they all had from each of their pockets and combined them together, except for Red XIII who had no pockets to carry any gil and Yuffie who refused to hand over her gil to them until Laina threaten to use "Telekinesis" on her that she reluctantly took out and hand over her bag of gil to them. Cloud then counted the gil which they all had before he turned to the woman and pay the full 30000 gil to her (and he split up and return the rest of the gil to his friends/companions) and the woman smiled as she took the gil before pulling a "Gold Ticket" out of her left pocket and handed it to Cloud.

"Thank you very much." the woman said to Cloud. "Now that you've a Gold Ticket, you and your friends can come and go freely into each of the theme parks in Gold Saucer… as long as you don't lose it. Here at the Gold Saucer, there are many places where you must pay with GP."

"GP?" said Aeris, confused.

"GP is a kind of gil that you and your friends can only use at the Gold Saucer." The woman explained to Aeris. "GP can only be redeemed at the games in "Wonder Square" and at the "Chocobo Races". Your GP limit is 10000, so please be careful and when you all leave Gold Saucer, your ticket will become invalid except for the Gold Ticket. Well then, please enjoy yourselves."

Cloud and his group nodded to her before they all went through the orange-coloured entrance and into a large, circular-shaped room with several round-shaped holes on the wall, each of them with a name on it (Event, Chocobo, Ghost, Battle, Round, Wonder and Speed Square).

"Wow! Let's have fun!" exclaimed Aeris in a cheerful voice as she looked around the round-shaped holes with different names on the floor in front of the holes before she turned around to glance at the others, who glance at her in silence. "Look, I know that this isn't the right time to do this." Aeris said to them.

"Then don't, Aeris." Laina told her but Aeris didn't heard it. Instead she began to approach Barret, who's standing with his back to them, lost in his own thoughts.

"Hey, Barret, cheer up!" Aeris said to him.

"… I ain't in no cheery mood now. So jes' leave me alone." Barret said to her in a small voice, not looking at her.

"Really? That's too bad." said Aeris before she turned around, walked away from Barret toward Cloud and grabbed his left arm. "Let's go, Cloud!"

Cloud glance at Aeris and was about to open his mouth to say something to her but he got interrupted by Angelina's voice. "Uh, sorry to disappoint you, Aeris. But Cloud and I have already decided to have some fun with Laina here in the Gold Saucer. If you don't mind, that is." Angelina said to Aeris as she approach the both of them, (while dragging Laina with her) which make both Cloud and Aeris raised their eyebrows at her.

"Oh, I see. Alright then." said Aeris in a small voice as she glance at Angelina then at Laina (who shrugged her shoulders) before she let go of Cloud's arm, turned and was about to approach Barret again when Tifa suddenly run toward her and began whispering to her.

"What are you thinking, Aeris?" Tifa whispered to her with a shocked/almost angry look on her face. "Don't you think that you're being a little harsh on Barret?"

Aeris glance at Tifa, not bothered by her shocked/almost angry look at all and whispered back to her. "Just act normal when this happened, Tifa."

"Are you sure about this?" Tifa whispered back to her, looking unsure now.

"Positive!" Aeris replied cheerfully/confidently to Tifa before she walked past her straight toward Barret and stopped right beside him with a sly and knowing smile on her face, glancing at him. "Barret, we're gonna go play…" Aeris began saying to him but got abruptly cut off by Barret's sudden angry yell.

"So? GO AND PLAY THEN!" Barret yelled angrily as he turned around to glance at all of them while raising and shaking his fists in annoyed anger (which make everyone jumped slightly in surprise, except for Laina who shake her head at Aeris in dismay). "… messin around # ^%$! Don't forget that we're still after Sephiroth!"

After Barret's done yelling/letting out his anger at them, he lapsed into silence, run past Cloud and the others toward one of the round-shaped holes with the words "Wonder Square" before it and jumped down into the hole with a loud whooshing sound, away from them. After he's gone, Aeris slowly turned to looked back at the others with a surprised look on her face.

"… I think he's mad." said Aeris in a small voice to them.

"Of course he's mad, Aeris. What do you expect?" said Laina in a reprimanding tone of voice to Aeris while scowling darkly at her. "A half-hour ago before we came here, he got punched, scolded and insulted by the people who use to be his friends/neighbours. Then after we all left North Corel and came here, you pour more salt onto his mental wound with your cheerfulness when he clearly told you that he wants to be alone."

"I, I'm sorry…" said Aeris in an apologetic tone of voice to Laina while lowering her head in shame/regret.

Laina sighed, glance at her and saw the look of shame/regret on her face and felt a little guilty for reprimanding her. "I'm sorry too, Aeris, for scolding you."

"Don't you worry, Aeris." said Tifa in a reassuring tone of voice to her. "Barret'll be fine. He seems to be doing a little better now."

"But he's right about one thing." said Kunsel as he glance at them. "Sephiroth could still be around so we've to be careful."

Cloud and the others nodded at Kunsel before they all split up and jumped down into different holes. Aeris and Yuffie jumped into "Chocobo Square", Red XIII and Kunsel jumped into "Event Square", Tifa jumped into "Wonder Square" (which Barret jumped into seconds ago) and Cloud, Angelina and Laina went and jumped into "Speed Square". After Cloud, Angelina and Laina jumped down into the "Speed Square" hole with a loud whooshing sound, they flew down and in the long tube for a few minutes before it turn upward and they flew straight up and out of the tube and emerged/landed onto a place with black-coloured floor and no walls around them, where a few people were walking around and walking up a green-coloured concrete staircase to their left with three, square-shaped holes on the second floor above them (and three more on the first floor before them) with words on them which will take them to other parts of the theme park.

As Cloud, Angelina and Laina stepped out and away from the hole which they had just emerged/landed on, glance around the place and the people walking around, a short, black-haired, muscular, tanned-skinned man wearing nothing but an orange-coloured speedo (and is standing on the stairs next to the hole which they had just came out of and near the green-coloured concrete staircase with three holes on the second floor and three more on the first floor) spotted them and he slowly make his way down the stairs toward them.

"Hey, you three boy and girls!" the speedo man greeted them and they all turned to glance at him (both Angelina and Laina had to refrained from showing disgust on their faces when they saw the speedo man).

"Boy and girls…" said Cloud as he glance at the speedo man with a confused look on his face.

"So how is it? You three having fun?" the speedo man asked them.

"Uh, not exactly." replied Angelina. "We just got here and…"

"Hmmm, so, you three ARE having fun." said the speedo man, ignoring and cutting off Angelina's words. "Well, good, good for you boy and girls."

"Hey! Stop calling us boy and girls already." said Cloud in an annoyed tone of voice to the speedo man. "My name's Cloud. And these two are my friends, Angelina and Laina. Who are you?" Cloud asked the speedo man after he introduced himself, Angelina and Laina to him.

"Hmmm, who am I, you say?" said the speedo man before he introduced himself to them. "I'm the owner of the Gold Saucer. The name's Dio and you three can just call me Dio."

" _So you're the owner of this Gold Saucer building, huh?"_ thought Laina to herself.

After the speedo man named Dio introduced himself to Cloud, Angelina and Laina, he lapsed into silence and pondered for a while before he glance at them. "By the way, boy and girls (Cloud mentally groaned and shake his head when he heard that), do either of the three of you know what a "Black Materia" is?"

"No, can't say that we have." said Angelina with a frown look on her face. "What is it?"

Dio widened his eyes at what Angelina just said to him before he began chuckling. "Ha ha ha ha… that, I say, that's a good one, girl! But it's not good to lie. You can't fool me."

"We're not lying to you!" said Angelina as she scowled at him. "We really don't know what this "Black Materia" is."

"And besides, why are you asking us about it?" Cloud asked him suspiciously.

"Well, a while back, some strange guy who's about your age came in here and asked me if I had a "Black Materia". Dio told them. "I thought that you two (he looked at both Cloud and Angelina) might know who he is, seein' as how you two and him look about the same age."

Cloud, Angelina and Laina exchange glances with each other before Laina glance at Dio. "Did this guy happen to have… a Black Cape on him…?" Laina asked him.

"Why yes, girl, yes indeed." Dio answered her. "And he had a tattoo on his right hand that said "1"."

"Where did he go!?" Cloud demanded impatiently at Dio.

"Ha ha ha, I have no idea." Dio told Cloud (which make him glared at Dio) before he walked past them, stopped and turned around to faced them. "I say, stop by the "Battle Arena" if you all like, boy and girls. You three'll probably like it. Many of my personal collections are on display there." After Dio finished talking to them, he turned away from them, laughed then walked away from them. Cloud, Angelina and Laina turned to glance at each other and exchange scowling looks before they all went through the middle, square-shaped hole with the single word "Wonder" above it, went through another long tube until they jumped up and out of it and found themselves inside Wonder Square.

Cloud, Angelina and Laina glance around the place and saw a metallic staircase to their left which is connected/lead up through a corridor with glasses on both sides of it toward a large room (where all the arcade games are), a large, cylindrical grey-coloured pillar to their right with a huge, single word "Wonder" attached on it and a bench below it. As they looked around the place, a peculiar mechanical voice suddenly called out to them.

"Hey, you three over there! Why are you three lookin' so down for!?"

"Is there something that make you guys looked so down?" said a second voice, a female voice.

Cloud, Angelina and Laina glance at the source of the two voices and saw a little black and white-coloured cat with a white muzzle, a yellow-coloured crown on its head, a red-coloured cape tie up around its neck and down its back and in its white-gloved hands is a yellow-coloured megaphone. The black and white-coloured cat is sitting/riding on top of a gigantic, white-coloured stuffed Mog (which is clearly a mechanical being like the cat). Standing on either side of the Mog and the cat above it is a young, fair-skinned girl with ebony-coloured eyes, shoulder-length straight black hair, a round-shaped face and wearing a black leather jacket over a white tank top with long black pants and black shoes on her feet and a young guy with mako blue eyes, short, wavy black hair, a round-shaped face and wearing a dark blue jeans jacket over a pale, blue-coloured cotton T-shirt with matching long pants, brown gloves on his hands and short brown boots on his feet (Laina slightly widened her eyes when she saw and recognized the guy and he froze and widened his eyes also when he saw/recognized her before he recover his composure and smiled at her). The cat smiled at them before it guides the Mog-machine its sitting/riding on over/toward the three of them and both the girl and the guy who's standing on either sides of the Mog-machine followed it.

"No, we're not looking or feeling down." Angelina told them.

"How' bout it?" said the cat in a cheerful voice to them, ignoring Angelina's words. "I'll bet that if I read your fortune, it'll wipe away the down looks on all your faces and make you all feel better! A bright future, a happy future! Oh, but don't hold it against me if it's not a great prediction!" The cat then lapsed into silence and scratched the side of its head in embarrassment. "Oh, so sorry! I'm a fortune-telling machine. The name's Cait Sith! And these two who's with me are my fellow friends/colleagues, Nina Devereaux and Carter Black."

"Hello." greeted Nina as she glance at Cloud, Angelina and Laina (and recognized Laina, who is the older sister of her friend, Phemie).

"Hi." greeted Carter as he waved his hand lightly at them.

"Yeah, nice to meet you all. Cait Sith, Nina and Carter." Angelina greeted them while Laina continue glancing at them in silence.

"You can only read the future?" Cloud asked Cait Sith as he crossed his arms and frowned at him.

"Are you kidding!?" said Cait Sith with a shocked look on his face. "I can find missing things, missing people, anything!"

"Cait Sith here is a really good fortune-teller." Nina told them. "His fortune-telling helped people a lot."

"Yeah, right." Carter muttered in a small voice.

Cloud glance at both Angelina and Laina, who glance at him and they both nodded to him. Cloud nodded back to them before he glance back at Cait Sith. "Then can you tell us where a man named Sephiroth is?" Cloud asked Cait Sith.

"A man named Sephiroth, huh?" said Cait Sith before he take a deep breath. "Okay, got it! Here goes!"

Cloud, Angelina and Laina watched as Cait Sith pressed a few buttons on the Mog-machine, causing the Mog-machine to moved its arms back and forth and dance for a while until it stopped a few seconds later and a small white paper slid out of the top of the Mog-machine head, in front of Cait Sith. Cait Sith pull the paper out and handed it to Cloud, who took it from him and began to read it with both Angelina and Laina reading it over his shoulders.

"… Ordinary luck." Cloud read the paper blankly. "It will be an active fortune. Give into the good will of others and something big'll happen after summer… wait… what's this?"

"Huh?" said Cait Sith with a frown look on his face before he leaned over the Mog-machine, snatched the paper back from Cloud, look down at it for a few seconds before tossing it away. "Let me try again." Cait Sith told them before he went through the entire process a second time and another piece of paper slid out of the top of the Mog-machine head. Cait Sith pull it out and hand it to Cloud, who took it and read it again.

"Be careful of forgetfulness. Your lucky colour is… blue?" Cloud read it then shook his head and threw the ticket away, feeling irritated now. "… Forget it." Cloud told Cait Sith before he, Angelina and Laina turned around and began to walked away.

"Wait, wait! Please give me another chance! Let me try it again!" Cait Sith pleaded desperately to them (while Nina chuckled and Carter rolled his eyes), trying to get their attentions again and he succeeded. Cloud, Angelina and Laina halted in their tracks, sighed heavily before they turned back around to glance at Cait Sith, Nina and Carter again. Cait Sith sighed in relieved when he saw them all turned back to him and his two friends/colleagues before he went through the entire process a third time, this time more harder and vigorous then the previous two times until a third piece of paper slid out of the top of the Mog-machine head and Cait Sith pull it out and hand it to Cloud. Cloud took it from him, read it in silence this time then widened his eyes in shocked.

"… What the!?" said Cloud in a shocked tone of voice.

"What is it, Cloud? What does this one say now?" Angelina asked Cloud.

Cloud glance at both Angelina and Laina and pass the paper over to Angelina, who took it and read it with Laina. "What you pursue will be yours, but you will lose something dear to you."

" _What the hell kind of prediction is this?"_ thought Angelina uneasily to herself before she glance up at both Cloud and Laina, who glance at her with uneasy/chilling looks on their faces and eyes. She then glance over at Cait Sith, Nina and Carter and saw that they also had the same looks on their faces as well.

"I don't know if it's good OR bad…" Cait Sith mumbled to them as he scratched the back of his head thoughtfully.

"That's the first time Cait Sith ever got a prediction like THIS." Nina told them gravely.

"Yeah, that's true." said Carter with a grim nod of his head.

Cait Sith lapsed into silence for a moment before he glance up at Cloud, Angelina and Laina. "Alright then, shall we?"

"Huh? Shall we what?" Laina asked Cait Sith, confused.

"As a fortune-teller, I can't help but think about this." Cait Sith said to them. "If I don't see what or where it leads to, I won't be able to relax. That's why I'm going with you three! And so does my two friends/colleagues!"

"What makes you think that we'll let you three come with us?" Angelina said to them, crossing her arms.

"We're coming with you, no matter WHAT you say!" said Cait Sith determinedly to them.

"Let us go with you three." said Carter. "We promised that we won't caused trouble or get in your way."

"Please." said Nina in an almost pleading tone of voice to them.

"What say you, Cloud?" Laina asked Cloud as she turned to glance at him. "Do you want them to come with us?"

Cloud glance at both Laina and Angelina, then at Cait Sith, Nina and Carter for a while before he closed his eyes, sighed deeply and turned around, his back to them. "Do as you like." Cloud told Cait Sith, Nina and Carter (who heard what he said and they smiled at him, which he didn't noticed since he had his back to them) before he walked away from them and jumped into the round-shaped hole with the words "Battle Square" next to the hole. Both Angelina and Laina went and jumped into the hole after him and Cait Sith, Nina and Carter jumped into the hole after them both.

 **(I hope that this chapter is to your liking, dear FF 7 fans.)**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: Descended down to Corel Prison**

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and their three new companions, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter emerged and walked out of one of the hollowed-out tunnels guarding the long tubes near the entrance of the Battle Square. After they all walked out and looked around the place, they noticed with surprise looks on their faces on how utterly silent the Battle Square is, unlike the other parts of the theme parks which is still blaring with lively/cheerful music and screaming from the people who came for funs and games.

"Everyone, look over there!" said Nina suddenly in a worry tone of voice to Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Cait Sith and Carter while she pointed a finger at something before them. They all glance at the place where she pointed her finger and saw a lone security guard who's standing unnaturally still and rigid at the bottom of a white staircase with a long purple carpet draped on it, a pale and blank expression on his face under the helmet with a faint trickle of blood flowing out of the right side of his mouth. Suddenly the security guard fell to his knees and fell face-down onto the ground, his helmet fell away from his head, rolling across the floor until it lightly bump against Laina's feet and stopped there.

" _What the…?_ " thought Laina to herself before she approach the fallen security guard and kneel down beside him, her hand reaching forward to feel for a pulse on the side of his neck and felt neither a throb nor a pulse on the guard's neck.

"He's dead…" said Laina under her breath, a grim look on her face.

"Oh, my goodness…" said Nina as she covered her mouth with both of her hands.

"Who would do this to him?" said Carter as he stared down at the guard's body with a shocked look on his face.

Cloud, Angelina and Laina (who stood up from the infantryman body) didn't answer his question. They glance up at the top of the staircase for a few seconds before all three of them run up the stairs and into the Battle Square, with their hands grasped the handles of their swords and naginata firmly.

"Hey, where are you all going?" said Cait Sith out loud as he saw them going up the stairs before he, Nina and Carter hurried up the stairs after them and ran into the square as well. Cait Sith, Nina and Carter saw Cloud, Angelina and Laina standing motionless in the middle of a waiting area room outside the Battle Arena and they stopped near them before they glance around the place. They saw that the waiting area room is filled with some more of the security guards and customers, all of them lying face-down on the black and white square tile floor (with a purple carpet lying on the ground in the middle of the room) with pools of blood flowing under and out of their bodies while two receptionists were slumped face-down and over their front desks with their blonde hair strewn all over both their faces, partially covering it and their arms lying down on either side of their heads. Both Cloud and Angelina shake their fists in anger while Laina kept silence when they saw it.

"Did Sephiroth did all this!? Just like back at Shinra company!?" said Cloud in anger while both Angelina and Laina walked past him toward two of the security guard bodies and kneel down to examine them (while Cait Sith, Nina and Carter stand behind them and glance at the bodies in shocked silence). Just like the previous security guard body which Laina checked at the bottom of the stairs, both Angelina and Laina felt no pulses on the sides of the two dead guard necks. But both of them also noticed another peculiar thing on both of the guard bodies, instead of the deep, slashing sword wounds on the guard bodies in the waiting area room or on the one lying outside of the room at the bottom of the stairs, there was several rough, round-shaped bleeding wounds on their bodies which looked almost like bullet wounds.

"No… it's not him, Cloud…" Angelina confirmed in a gravely tone of voice as she glance up at Cloud. "They're all shot to death… Sephiroth would never use a gun…"

"If it's not him who did all this…" asked Nina to Cloud, Angelina and Laina in a worry tone of voice as she gestured with her left hand at the waiting area room and the bodies. "Then, who did?"

Before any of them could say anymore words, they all heard the sound of a woman moaning in pain and they all turned their heads toward the front desk to their right and saw one of the female receptionists is slowly moving, opening her eyes and moaning in pain, looking barely alive. Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter quickly hurried over to the mortally wounded female receptionist.

"Hey, hang in there!" Laina told the female receptionist.

"What happened here?" Cloud asked the female receptionist quickly.

"Ugh…ugh…" moaned the female receptionist in a pain-filled tone of voice while she slowly turned her head to the right and look up at Cloud and the others behind him (they noticed with grim/sad looks on their faces that the back of her body also had several bleeding bullet wounds on it, telling them that she doesn't have long to live). "A man with a gun… on his arm…" the female receptionist told them in a weak voice before she slowly closed her eyes and exhaled her last breath.

"A man with a gun on his arm?" said Laina with a frown look on her face.

"No! It can't be him! He wouldn't do all this!" said Angelina as she glance at both Cloud and Laina with an "unable-to-believe" look on her face and both Cloud (who had a grave/firm look on his face) and Laina (who's still frowning) glance at her, both of them thinking that Barret wouldn't do this but the bullet wounds on the bodies of the security guards and the two female receptionists says otherwise. Just as Cait Sith was about to open his mouth to say something to them, he got interrupted by the angry voice of a man.

"Hold it right there, all of you! And stay quiet!"

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter all turned around to glance at the source of the angry voice and saw two more security guards came running through the entrance of Battle Square, into the waiting area room with assault rifles in their hands. As the two security guards saw Cloud and the others with him, they raised their assault rifles, cocked and pointed it at them, ready to open fire at them at any second. As Cloud and the others stood and stared at the two security guards in frozen silence, they saw Dio, the short black-haired, muscular and tanned-skinned man which Cloud, Angelina and Laina talked to just a few minutes ago came walking into the waiting area room and stopped behind his security guards, glancing around the place and the dead security guards/customers/receptionists lying face-down on the black and white square tile floor before raising and settling his stern gaze on Cloud, Angelina, Laina and their three friends.

"Did you guys do this!?" Dio demanded sternly.

"N…no, it wasn't us!" Cloud protested to Dio.

"It's true! When we all came in here, they were already dead!" added Angelina.

Dio listen to their words of protest before he slowly lowered and shake his head, not believing them at all. "I must've been wrong…" said Dio in a small voice.

After Dio said those words to them, Cait Sith immediately turned to glance at Cloud, Angelina and Laina. "We should all hurry and run, it's gonna get ugly real soon." Cait Sith told them.

"Cait Sith's right, let's go!" Nina said to them before she, Carter and Cait Sith turned and run away from them and run up a staircase next to the right side of the receptionist front desk, through an opened, dark doorway at the top of the stairs without hesitation.

"H…Hey!" Cloud called after them before he shook his head at them and turned around, grabbed hold of Angelina's right arm and pulled her with him, both of them running up the stairs toward the opened, dark doorway which Cait Sith, Nina and Carter just run through with Laina running/following closely behind them both and from behind them, they could hear Dio shouting orders to his security guards to go after them. Cloud, Angelina and Laina followed Cait Sith, Nina and Carter down a dark tunnel until all 6 of them run into the Battle Arena, stopped running to glance around the place. They saw that they're now standing on a large, brown-coloured square-shaped platform floor with a huge red-coloured circle on it with some kind of white/purplish water under it in the middle of a large arena and with two doors in front of them (which they just came through) and behind them (which is bolted shut).

"Great, we're trapped!" said Angelina sarcastically at Cait Sith. "You got anymore bright ideas?"

"That's as far as all of you can go." said Dio boldly to them as he and his two security guards entered the arena.

"Wait, listen to…" Cloud began saying to Dio, who shook his head at him and the others with him before Dio clicked his two right fingers together and the back door which is bolted shut behind them automatically open up to reveal to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and their three friends another dark tunnel which can lead them deeper into the arena. But standing inside the dark tunnel is a light, blue-coloured robot with a strong metal-plated body, grey-coloured robotic legs and a set of strong and thick light blue robotic arms (which is useful for grabbing prisoners, preventing them from breaking free). The robot stomped its way into the arena, onto the platform floor with heavy feet and blocked the tunnel exit which it just came out of from Cloud and the others. Cait Sith jumped a little and walked backward until he's near Cloud, Angelina and Laina while Nina hide behind Carter's back.

Dio clicked his two right fingers 5 more times again and Cloud, Angelina, Laina and their three companions all raised their heads to glance up when they heard the sounds of doors opening and saw two doors opened up near a viewing balcony which surrounds the arena above them. After the doors are opened, they saw two more robots (with some more standing behind them) came out of the door, looked around the place for a few seconds then down at Cloud and the others standing on the platform floor before the robots jumped down one by one and landed on the platform floor, surrounding Cloud and the others. As the robots began to approach and ready to capture all 6 of them, Laina uses her Geneva saber and her "Telekinesis" to lash out at the robots, slashing, breaking and tearing them into pieces (and with help from Cloud, Angelina and Carter). Unfortunately, some of the remaining robots which jumped down from above after Laina and her friends got rid of half of the previous robots managed to grabbed hold of Cloud, Angelina and the others and Dio threaten to Laina that he'll order the robots to kill them if she doesn't stop destroying the rest of the robots. She glared at him and clench her fists tightly but decided to stand down for Cloud and Angelina sakes and one of the robots approach and grabbed hold of her.

XXXX

"Only one last one to go." said Dio with a proud look on his face at the security guard standing next to him (who nodded to him) as the both of them stands within a secret room somewhere in the center of the Gold Saucer stem, staring at Cloud as he struggled fiercely to break himself free from the robot's tight grasp on his arms. Both he and the robot holding his arms tightly are now standing before a circular, metallic trapdoor with the words "Gateway to Heaven" written on it, which Angelina, Laina, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter had already gone down previously before him, carried by each of their robot captors.

"Do it." Dio told the security guard.

"Yes sir." replied the security guard next to Dio and Cloud saw out of the corner of his eye at the security guard as he turned to the hatch controls next to him and is about to pull the lever stick which will open the trapdoor and drop him down.

"Hey! Listen to me! We really didn't kill those people!" Cloud exclaimed desperately to Dio, trying to get him to listen.

"There's no more need for me to listen to you." Dio said to Cloud uncaringly. "You and your friends can pay for your crimes below!"

Cloud can't believe that Dio wouldn't even listen to him and he struggled even more to break himself free from the robot's tight grip on him. But before he could get free, the security guard next to Dio pulled the lever stick down and the circular, metallic trapdoor in front of Cloud open with a loud whooshing sound and the robot which grabbed his arms tightly jumped down through the trapdoor, bringing Cloud down with it.

XXXX

"Hey, Cloud, wake up." said Angelina's worry/concern tone of voice near Cloud and Cloud slowly open his mako eyes, looked around and realised that he's lying on a sandy/gritty ground and he quickly pushed himself up and away from the sandy/gritty ground, felt hot stab of pains in his eyes and throat and he quickly rubbed his eyes with his right black-gloved hand and cough out the sands which got into them. Only after he finished rubbing and coughing out the sands from his eyes and throat, he slowly stood up, turned around and saw Angelina, Laina, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter standing nearby him.

"Are you alright, Cloud?" said Angelina's concerned voice again.

"Yeah, I'm fine now, Angie." Cloud told Angelina in a reassured tone, gave a brief nod to Laina who nodded back before he looked around the place and saw that the place which they're now at is heavily surrounded by hot sandy ground which stretch on for miles with the faint outlines of the mountains in the distance, so hot that he could feel the heat even through his clothes and boots. He also saw that they're standing near a large metallic tube on the sandy ground with a slightly rusted steel ladder attached near the right edge of the tube (where they had been dropped from above to below by Dio) with other kind of rubbish things around them like an old, rusted yellow-coloured topless car behind Angelina and Laina, broken bits and pieces of metals, empty wooden boxes and crates on the sandy ground and a large, barbed wire fence to their top left which bordered the sandy land around them.

"Where are we, Angie, Laina?" Cloud asked them both.

"We're now in a desert prison below Gold Saucer…" Cait Sith answered Cloud's question. "Corel prison…"

"A desert prison?" said Laina as she, Cloud and Angelina turned to glance at him, her eyebrow raised.

"That's right." said Nina with a nod of her head and she motioned with her hand at the vast plains of sandy ground that surrounded them, the old yellow car, the bits and pieces of rubbish things and beyond the large, barbed wire fence. "A natural prison in the middle of the desert… surrounded entirely by quicksand." Nina told them.

"And also, we heard that once you or anyone else got thrown down here, you'll never get out… But there was one special exception…" Cait Sith added to them.

"What kind of "special exception"?" Cloud asked Cait Sith at the same time Angelina turned away from them, saw a familiar person standing with his back to them far ahead of them and widened her eyes in surprise.

"Hey! Cloud, Laina!" exclaimed Angelina at them. "It's Barret!"

Both Cloud and Laina heard her and they (including Cait Sith, Nina and Carter) turned around and saw that it's indeed Barret, who's standing a few metres ahead of them, partially hidden by some large and rusted-looking pipes which is partially buried in the sandy ground and with his head lowered as he looked down at something on the sandy ground. Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter walked past the huge pipes on the sandy ground and over to the dark-skinned man who's standing in silence. As they approach him, they all saw what he's looking down at. Lying face-down on the sandy ground near Barret's feet was a bald-headed, tan-skinned man wearing a black singlet with long, black cotton pants and with a single bleeding bullet wound which is visible at the back of his body. Nina gasped lightly and covered her mouth with both of her hands in fear when she saw it and Cloud, Angelina and Laina glance away from the man's dead body to looked up at Barret's face, which is now blank and emotionless.

"Barret…" said both Cloud and Angelina in a low voice.

"Did you really…" said Laina grimly.

Barret heard their voices talking behind him and he turned around to glance at them, his blank/emotionless expression morphed into another expression as he saw them, an expression which Cloud, Angelina and Laina can't decipher. As Cloud took a step forward toward Barret, Barret abruptly stepped back from him and avoided the dead man's body lying near his feet.

"Stay back, all of you!" Barret warned them in a loud and stern voice and Cloud halted in his tracks. "This's something I gotta deal with. Jes' leave me alone…"

After he's done warning them, Barret turned away from them and run off away from Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others through an open fence ahead of him, a separate fence which leads into another part of the desert prison. Cloud, Angelina and Laina watched him go before they exchange worried glances with each other.

"Whew!" said Cait Sith's voice suddenly and Cloud, Angelina and Laina turned their heads to glance at him as he approach them. "That's one of your friends? He sure looks dangerous…"

"Yeah, he does look like a dangerous one." said Nina, agreeing with Cait Sith.

"Oh, be quiet, you two!" Angelina snapped at them both. "Barret may look like a dangerous guy to you two but he's not!"

"But still, that doesn't excuse the fact that he's been acting a little strange even since we reached North Corel, Angelina. And that strange attitude of his increases even since we all rode on the air-cab which brings us to Gold Saucer after we leave North Corel. And even after we got framed, captured and thrown down into Corel prison below Gold Saucer by Dio and saw Barret again, his attitude still remain the same." said Laina with her arms crossed over her chest.

Angelina scowled silently at Laina for a few seconds then sighed in dismay and looked away from her. The both of them then followed after Cloud as he went through the open fence into the other part of the desert prison in search of Barret, with Cait Sith, Nina and Carter following after the three of them.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: Meeting Dyne and leaving Gold Saucer**

After Cloud, Angelina, Laina and their three new companions went through the open fence into the other part of the desert prison, they saw that the other part of the desert prison is a small open town built right in the middle of the desert at the very base of Gold Saucer and which looks like it had been left in disarray for years while its citizens who lived here turns out to be a rough-looking bunch of punks/prisoners who got thrown/sent down from the Gold Saucer to spend the rest of their days/lives in the desert prison as punishment. The wooden houses with remnants of burn/scorch marks on its walls and the tall, big grey-coloured three-storey building with rusted metallic pipes attached against part of its walls which is still standing were quite neatly arranged (with some metal parts constructed on it) as though they had once been a part of a neatly constructed town.

But after a while of them searching around the desert prison for Barret, they couldn't find him anywhere. Nina then suggested to the others that since they can't find him wandering around outside of the desert prison, he must be within one of the wooden houses in the town. They (which is Cloud, Angelina and Laina) agreed with her words and they proceeded to head into one of the wooden houses nearby them, which turns out to be abandoned when Cloud opened the door (which creaked loudly) and they all went through the open doorway into the house.

Cloud and the others with him froze when they saw the condition of the room inside the abandoned house, which is just as terrible/disarray as the outside. The right wall in the house were dirty and had large and small holes on them (with a second door next to it), some wooden shelves were broken, two dirty white couches had a dozen slash and bullet holes in it and is standing on only two legs while the rest of it is tilted down to its left side, broken pieces of plates, cups and glasses littered on top of a faded and dirty dark, purple-coloured carpet on the floor and they cracked under Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter feet when they walked on and over them. Not only that, the interior of the house is heavy with dust, dirt and sand that it instantly make both Angelina and Nina grimaced and covered their noses and mouths in disgust.

"Well, he's not inside this house." said Laina, glancing at Nina.

"Then we should try another…" Nina began saying in a slightly muffled voice to Laina and the others (since she covered her nose and mouth with her hand) and abruptly lapsed into silence when she and the others all heard the sound of footsteps coming nearer toward them. They all turned around to faced the open doorway which they all previously came through and saw Barret as he came charging through the open doorway, staring at them all with a furious look on his face.

"Didn't I already tell you all not to follow me and come here?" Barret yelled angrily at them and before any of them could say anything to him, he raised his gun-arm and pointed it straight at them.

"What are you doing?" said Nina as she stared at his gun-arm in fear.

"Ju… Just hold on for a second!" said Cait Sith frantically at Barret while he waved his arms madly and in fear above his head. "All we want is to talk to you! You'll understand if you just hear us out!"

Barret glared at Cait Sith in silence before he began firing his gun-arm at them, causing Cloud, Angelina, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter to raised their arms and shielded themselves from his bullets except for Laina (since the bullets would stopped in mid-air in front of her before they fell to the ground) who stared at Barret in silence. A few seconds later, Barret ceased firing his gun-arm and lowered it, his face no longer furious but is set and level now. Only after Barret ceased firing and lowered his gun-arm did Cloud and the others lowered their arms, look at Barret with a bewildered look on their faces, heard a groan of pain and a thud sound coming from the back of one of the dirty white couches and both Angelina and Nina turned around and saw the body of another prisoner lying dead on the floor, a number of bleeding bullet wounds on his body and they sighed in relieved when they realised that Barret was not raising and aiming his gun-arm at them. Once the prisoner is dead, Barret turned around and refused to meet their gazes.

"Didn't want none of ya to get involved…" muttered Barret.

"You don't want us to get involved, Barret? Well, too bad for you." said Laina. "For we're involved now, whether you like it or not."

"Hey, that's Cloud's line!" said a familiar female voice suddenly, causing Barret to turned back around sharply and raised/pointed his gun-arm right at the second door next to the wall and lowered it in relieved when he (and Cloud and the others) saw that it's Aeris, Tifa, Kunsel, Red XIII and Yuffie as they came running through the second door into the disarray room. "… It's too dangerous, I can't let you get involved…' blah, blah, blah…" Aeris continue saying sarcastically, which make Cloud scowled darkly at her and make both Angelina and Laina smirked then chuckled at him.

"Like what Laina just said, Barret. We're all already involved in this." said Tifa to Barret, in agreement with Laina.

"Who are you guys?" asked Carter as he glance at them. "And how did you guys get here?"

"We are their friends and when we saw Cloud, Angelina, Laina and you three chasing/looking for Barret, we decided to followed after you guys." Kunsel answered Carter's question as he glance over at him.

"Barret, won't you tell us what is going on?" Tifa asked him.

"You guys…" said Barret in a small voice as he looked from one person to another (except for Cait Sith, Nina and Carter) before he lowered his head to stared at the floor, knowing that he had no choice but to tell them the entire truth now.

"When we arrived at the Battle Arena, we saw that all the securities, receptionists and customers there were all gunned down mercilessly by a man with a gun-arm." said Cloud as he glance at Barret. "…Was it you who did it?"

Barret glance at Cloud, shook his head fiercely and began telling them. "There's another… another man that got a gun grafted into one of his arms. It was 4 years ago… I remember… Dyne and I were on our way home after we visited a Mako reactor being built."

XXXX

 _Barret and Dyne were just walking across the railway road/bridge away from mako reactor, both of them were quite relieved to be back on their own continent after their 4 days, 3 nights journey away from their Corel hometown, where they had seen another mako reactor being built in another town. When the both of them looked ahead, they saw an elderly man which they both recognized as the village headman of Corel came running on the railway road/bridge toward them, his face red and panting hard from his running._

" _Barret! Dyne!" the village headman cried out to them as he run across the railway road/bridge until he can't run anymore and stopped a few feet ahead of them both, his hands on his knees and his lungs gasping/heaving for air. "Come quick, you two! The village's been attacked! It's Shinra soldiers!"_

" _What!?" Barret yelled in outraged to the village headman before he turned to glance at Dyne, who had an anxious/ worried look on his face now and who share the same thoughts as Barret before they both hurried and jumped down from the railway road/bridge to their right and run toward the edge of the rocky cliff to looked out at their Corel village far ahead of them in the forest and at the mountain exit._

 _To both their horror, they saw that the village of Corel is on fire, the red-hot flames spreading over the village and a huge cloud of black smoke rises from it. Barret stared at the now burning village in anger then despair, thinking about their friends, neighbours and families who were now running and screaming from their houses as they desperately try to get away from the flames and smoke before it could choked the life out of them or burned them alive._

" _What the hell happened!?..." Barret yelled out in anger then despair as he raised both of his arms above him and waved it around madly before he lowered his arms and fell onto his knees to the ground._

 _Next to him, his friend, Dyne also saw the flames as it rapidly comsumed the village of Corel and its poor, helpless villagers, but instead of letting himself seethed in anger then despair like Barret, he slowly turned his head to the right to looked away from it. Only when Barret raised his right hand (which is now clench into a tight fist) and slammed it down onto the ground did Dyne glance back at Barret and placed a hand on his shoulder._

" _Hey, Barret! It's not over yet!" said Dyne positively, trying to get Barret to looked up at him and he succeeded. "Everyone's waiting for us both! Let's head back to the village, to our hometown!"_

 _Barret continue staring up at Dyne for a few seconds more before a slightly hopeful look appear on his face and he nodded to him and stood up from the ground. Both Barret and Dyne then turned around and was about to head back up onto the railway road/bridge where the village headman is still standing when the village headman suddenly call out to them in a desperate and fear tone of voice._

" _Barret! Dyne! Protect the village…!" the village headman shouted to them before he turned away from them and began to run across the railway road/bridge. Both Barret and Dyne looked up and soon saw the reason on why he run, for running behind the village headman on the railway road/bridge is a group of four Shinra soldiers armed with assault rifles under their arms. The group of four Shinra soldiers stopped running, raised and cocked their assault rifles, aimed them at the back of the running village headman and opened fire. The bullets struck the back of the village headman and he scream before he fell face-down onto the railway road/bridge, dead now._

" _No! Old man!" Barret cried out as both he and Dyne watched as the four Shinra soldiers killed the village headman in cold blood before they glance over at both Barret and Dyne and aimed their assault rifles over at them now. Barret and Dyne saw that the Shinra soldiers is now aiming their assault rifles at them and they quickly turned to run under the railway road/bridge. However, only Dyne managed to made it under the bridge at the same time the four Shinra soldiers opened fire at them, causing Barret to jumped back and away from the underside of the railway road/bridge to avoid the torrent of bullets as they struck the ground near his feet._

" _C'mon, Barret!" yelled Dyne from the other side of the railway road/bridge. "We gotta hurry!"_

 _Barret looked ahead and saw Dyne is standing near the edge of a natural rocky ledge on the other side of the bridge (while he kept on avoiding the bullets striking the ground near his feet). When the Shinra soldiers ceased firing to reload their assault rifles, Barret took that split-second chance and run through the underside of the bridge and joined up with Dyne. After Barret joined up with Dyne near the edge of the natural rocky ledge, the Shinra soldiers resumed firing their assault rifles at them but this time, both Barret and Dyne were nowhere near them. As they stood with their backs pressed against the rocky mountain wall firmly, they soon saw Scarlet (wearing her red silk long dress) as she came walking across the railway road/bridge and stopped near the four Shinra soldiers, laughing that annoying laugh of hers._

" _Barret! You stay here!" Dyne told Barret sternly as he glance at him before he grabbed hold of his left arm._

" _Shu'up!" replied Barret as he glance back at Dyne and shook his arm away from his tight grip, knowing what's he's about to do next._

" _Kyaa haa, ha!" laughed Scarlet as she glance at both Barret and Dyne arguing with a smug, evil look on her face before she turned her head away from them to glance at the Shinra soldiers. "You soldiers can shoot at them all day and never hit them with pathetic aims like that."_

 _Scarlet then walk toward one of the Shinra soldiers and pushed him roughly toward the edge of the railway road/bridge, causing him to stagger and fell down over the edge and landed hard onto the rocky ledge ground below, unconscious. The other three soldiers ceased their firing and raised their assault rifles above their heads, glancing at Scarlet and awaiting her order._

" _Haa, ha, ha!" Scarlet laughed again before she ceased her laughing and motioned with her right hand to the soldiers. "Stop playing around and cover me!"_

 _The three soldiers obeyed her order and they lowered and reloaded their assault rifles before they moved around in front of her and guarding her in a semi circle. They then pointed/aimed their assault rifles at both Barret and Dyne and Scarlet ordered them to open fire, which they did._

" _Barret, watch out!" yelled Dyne as he quickly move forward in front of Barret to protect him from the bullets, but in his haste to protect Barret, his right foot caught on a loose piece of rock lying near the edge of the ledge, causing him to stagger/lose his balance and he fall off from the ledge._

 _Barret immediately fell to his knees on the rocky ledge and grabbed hold of Dyne's right arm tightly with his left arm, preventing him from falling to his death down toward the dark chasm below. "Dyne, hang on! I got you!" Barret yelled at Dyne desperately over the sounds of the gunfire. "Lissen to me! You're comin' back with me to the village, you hear me!?"_

" _Yeah, Barret… I ain't lettin' go…" replied Dyne in a dazed tone of voice as he looked up at Barret. "We're going back… Everyone's waitin' for us… Eleanor… Marlene and Myrna… They're all waitin' for us…"_

 _Up on the railway road/bridge, Scarlet continue urging the three soldiers to keep on firing at them and slowly but surely, the line of bullets moved closer to the spot where Barret's left arm was holding onto Dyne's right arm and the bullets strike into both their arms, causing their arms to bleed and they both cried out from the pain of it. Barret's left arm soon go limp due to the bleeding bullet wounds on it and he let go of Dyne's injured right arm and watched in helpless and despair as Dyne fall away from the rocky ledge into the dark chasm below. Barret then turned his head to glared hatefully at Scarlet and the three soldiers (who's reloading their assault rifles again) before he stood up and run away from them._

 _XXXX_

"From then on, I couldn't use my left arm no more." Barret told them slowly. "… I was depressed for a while. But then I discarded my injured artificial left arm and got this gun grafted in." Barret raised and showed them his gun-arm for a few seconds before he turned away from them, looking down at his gun-arm. "Got a new left arm to get revenge on Shinra company, who took everything away from me…" Barret clench his right hand into a fist tightly before he turned back around to faced them. "Back then, right after I asked the doc to grafted the gun onto my arm and he did so, he told me that there was another man who got the same operation as me. But his was the right arm…"

"…" said Cloud silently.

"Ah, your friend, Dyne." said Laina with a nod of her head. "So he did managed to survive that fall and he's now somewhere here in this desert prison."

"But… Dyne's injury was the same as yours, isn't it, Barret?" Aeris asked him.

"Yeah, that's right." said Tifa. "He was deceived by the Shinra too. He'll probably join us to fight against the Shinra."

"… Wouldn't bet on it." replied Barret while he shakes his head. "I gotta 'pologize to Dyne before I can rest in peace. An' that's why, I gotta go alone."

"Do whatever you want…" said Cloud suddenly (while shrugging his shoulders) and everyone (with surprise on their faces except Laina and Kunsel) turned to look at Cloud, who closed his eyes and turned away from all of them. "Is that what you want to hear? Well, I can't let you do it, Barret. Because, if you die on me, I'm gonna have nightmares."

"He's right, Barret." said Angelina, catching on to what Cloud was saying. "This isn't the end yet."

"Besides, weren't you going to save the Planet?" Tifa asked him.

"Shit!" Barret cursed out as he turned to glared at her angrily, making her jumped slightly in shock. "Tifa, you oughtta know by now."

Angelina glared at Barret and just as she's about to reprimand him for cursing/yelling at Tifa, Laina's hand on her shoulder prevented her from doing so. She turned her head to glance at Laina, saw her slowly shaking her head and the glare on Angelina's face soften then faded away.

Tifa lowered her head to looked down at her gloved hands. "… That's all right. I'm not so different from you." said Tifa quietly to Barret.

"That's easier to understand." said Aeris. "It's you after all, Barret."

"So there it is, Barret." said Cloud as he took a few steps forward to Barret. "I guess that it'll be Barret, me, Angie and…" Cloud lapsed into silence and he turned to looked around at the others, thinking about who he should bring along with him, Angelina and Barret and he decided on Laina.

"You're choosing me to go with you three?" said Laina, glancing (and raising her eyebrow) at Cloud. Cloud slowly nodded his head at her and she nodded back before she followed after them. They went out through the door, shut it behind them (to keep their friends/companions waiting inside the house safe from the prisoners outside) and left the house.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Barret backtrack the way they came from, which is just outside the perimeter of the prison. Once they're there, they soon noticed another prisoner lying face-down on the hot, sandy ground near the fence (which is open now), dead now. They approach him and Cloud kneel down to examine the prisoner's body and he saw some deep, bleeding bullet wounds on the prisoner's back.

"This one's been shot too…" Cloud told the others and they all lapsed into silence (while staring down at the prisoner's body with pity in their eyes) until they heard the constant and sudden sound of gunfire through the air from afar. Barret immediately took off away from Cloud, Angelina and Laina (who quickly run after him), run past the prisoner's body and through the opened fence, run past some heaping pile of old, junk cars down a sandy path (while fighting some bullmotor monsters who got in their way) until he and the others running behind him halted in their tracks when they saw a man standing ahead of them at the edge of a deep ridge, with two wooden crosses behind the man, one tall one and one short one. He was wearing old, dirty rags which seems to be unwashed in ages, his face and body was thin and pale as though he haven't eaten or drink anything for days, his limping, left leg had a terrible-looking scar on it and grafted on his right arm was a gun, just like Barret. He didn't looked up at Barret, Cloud, Angelina and Laina as they approach and stood before him, merely firing his gun-arm at an old well on the ground to his right nonstop.

"… Dyne… Is that you?" said Barret as he stared at Dyne.

Dyne heard his voice, ceased his firing and lowered his gun-arm to his side. He lifted his head to glance at Barret blankly for a few seconds (while ignoring Cloud, Angelina and Laina standing behind Barret) until a faint look of recognition appear on his face which then make way for an expression of pure anger/hatred.

"Now that's a voice I haven't heard in years…" said Dyne in a low voice as he slowly limped forward until he stop a few feet in front of Barret. "A voice that I'll never forget…"

"I always hoped I'd be able to see you again someday…" said Barret in a normal, relieved tone of voice to Dyne. "I knew you were alive somewhere… we had the same operation. Listen to me, Dyne. I want to…" Barret continue saying to Dyne while he took a few steps forward but stopped when Dyne suddenly raised his gun-arm and shot at the ground right before Barret's feet. Barret froze, glance up at Dyne with a shocked look on his face and saw the manic/angry expression on Dyne's face. He (and Cloud, Angelina and Laina standing behind him) then watched as Dyne slowly raised his head to glance up at the sky, his manic/angry expression softening a little.

"What's that?... I hear her voice." said Dyne.

"…?" said Barret, confused.

"I hear her voice, Eleanor's voice. Begging me…" Dyne continue saying and closed his eyes for a few seconds before he open them and lowered his head to looked back down at Barret, raised and pointed his gun-arm right at him. "…not to hate your rotten guts. That's why I didn't hunt you down…"

"… I know I was stupid, Dyne." said Barret as he lowered his head in shame and despair. "I'm not asking you to forgive me. But… what're you doin' in a place like this? Why ya wanna kill those that ain't even involved? Why?"

"…Why!?" growled Dyne angrily as he stared at Barret. "The hell do you care for!? Are the people killed going to understand "why"? Are the people of Corel going to understand just hearing Shinra's excuses? I don't fucking CARE what the reason is! All they give us are mako reactors, artillery and stupid excuses… What's left is a world of utter despair and emptiness…"

"…" mumbled Barret sadly and quietly, wanted to ease Dyne's pain but not knowing how to do it.

"You still want to hear "why"?" said Dyne as he turned to his left and Barret looked up at him. "…All right, I'll tell you. Cause I want to destroy everything." Dyne raised/pointed his gun at some large rocks and shot a single bullet at them. "The people of this city." He turned around and shot another bullet at an old, empty black car. "This city itself." He turned to glance at Barret and shot three more bullets at Barret's feet. Barret flinch but he didn't step back. "The whole world!" Dyne ceased firing and turned away from Barret. "I got nothing left in this world. Corel, Eleanor… Marlene…"

A glimmer of hope appear in Barret's eyes and he looked at Dyne. "Dyne, Marlene… Marlene's still alive."

Dyne heard what he said, gasped and turned to look over his shoulder at Barret with a surprise look on his face.

"I went back into Corel village. I thought she was gone for sure." Barret continue saying to him, thinking and hoping that he had finally found the one thing which would make Dyne listen to him. His only daughter, Marlene. "That is why I wanted to be by her side till the end. That's when I found your daughter… found Marlene."

"…" said Dyne as he continue staring at Barret, still in surprised.

"She's now in Midgar with Wren and Aeris mama." Barret told him in a hopeful tone of voice. "Let's go see her together, all right?"

Dyne looked at Barret in silence for a while longer then looked away from him, feeling his heart beating heavily in joy and relieve inside his body for the first time after a few years, but not for long. "So… she's still alive…" said Dyne to himself in a small voice. "All right, Barret. I guess that means you and I gotta fight."

"What!?" exclaimed Barret, shocked at Dyne.

Dyne turned around to glance at Barret. "Eleanor's alone all by herself at the other side. I've got to take Marlene with me to her side."

"Dyne… are you insane!?" yelled Barret as he shook his head in disbelief at what Dyne just suggest.

"Marlene misses her mom and wanted to see her, doesn't she?" said Dyne to Barret and before Barret could say anything to Dyne, he raised his gun-arm and started firing at Barret's feet again.

"Stop it, Dyne!" Barret protested/pleaded at Dyne. "I can't die yet!"

"Oh yeah?" said Dyne in a sneering tone of voice to Barret as he stopped his firing long enough to talk to him. "Well, my life's been over since then." He started firing at Barret's feet again and wouldn't stop this time.

"Stop it!" yelled Barret. "I don't wanna fight you!"

"Barret!" yelled both Cloud and Angelina's voice from behind him and he looked over his shoulder at them and saw them both reached for their Buster Sword and Naginata behind their backs, ready to run forward to help him.

"Cloud, Angelina! You two stay the hell out of it!" Barret yelled fiercely back at them, causing them to stop what they're doing. "This is MY problem!"

"But…" Angelina began saying and lapsed into silence when both she and Cloud saw Laina run past them and stood in front of them now, staring at them with an indifferent look on her face and blocking their path.

"This is his fight, you two." Laina said to them. "He has to do it on his own now."

Both Cloud and Angelina stared uncertainly at Barret over Laina's shoulders, sighed and stepped backward away from both Barret and Dyne (with Laina pushing them back gently yet firmly). But they did not relaxed their grip on their weapons, in case Barret about to be killed by Dyne. Soon the fight between both Barret and Dyne began and both Cloud and Angelina watched with anxious/worried looks on their faces and eyes (while Laina turned around and stared at their fight indifferently but with a little worry in her eyes) as both Barret and Dyne shoot, punch and throw random metallic junks at each other for a good half-hour until Dyne halted his gun attacks on Barret and fell on one knee to the ground, panting hard and with deep bruises and blood bleeding slowly from the bullet wounds on his body. Barret, who's also panting hard (and had bruises/bullet wounds on his body but it's not as bad as Dyne's) but still standing from their fight, lowered his gun-arm and began to run toward Dyne, wanted to help him up.

"Back!" Dyne yelled at Barret when he saw him coming and Barret stopped in his tracks and watched as Dyne slowly pushed himself to his feet, turned to his right and walked toward a nearby wall and leaned his back against it. "… It wasn't just my arm… back then…" said Dyne softly and wearily to Barret, glancing at him. "I lose something irreplaceable. I don't know where I went wrong…"

"Dyne… I don't know either, man." said Barret with a shake of his head. "Is this really the only way… we can resolve this?"

"I told you…" said Dyne without any trace of anger/hatred in his voice and face, now looking much more weary, thin and pale without all the anger/hatred fueling inside him. "I… I want to destroy everything… Everything… This cruel, crazy world… Even myself…"

"An' what 'bout Marlene?" Barret demanded while shaking his head at Dyne again. "What's gonna happen to her!?"

"… Think about it… Barret…" said Dyne as he looked away from Barret, sighing heavily. "How old was Marlene back then…? Even if I did go with you to see her now… she wouldn't even recognize me… And furthermore… Barret…" Dyne stopped talking to stared down at his left hand and right gun-arm. "These hands of mine are a little too bloody and stained to carry Marlene anymore…"

"…" said Barret, lowering his head to stared down at the ground.

"Barret…" Dyne called out to him and Barret lifted his head to glance at Dyne, saw him pull something out from his dirty rags pocket and toss it to Barret. Barret caught it in his right hand, look at it and saw that it's a gleaming golden pendant, made in the shape of a circle.

"Give that pendant to Marlene…" Dyne told Barret as he began to breath heavily now, due to their fight. "It was… Eleanor's… my wife's… memento…"

"All right, Dyne…" said Barret, agreeing with Dyne before he put the golden pendant safely in his pants left pocket.

A small, grateful smile appeared on Dyne's face and with the last of his energy, he pushed himself away from the wall, walked until he stopped near the edge of the deep ridge and looked down at it. "… wow… Marlene's… already… 4…" Dyne turned around and stared at Barret for the final time. "Barret… Don't… make… Don't ever make Marlene… cry…"

"Dyne…?" said Barret, confused for a few seconds then his eyes widened when he realised what Dyne's about to do. He saw Dyne spread his arms wide and he began to run toward him. "Dyne!" Barret yelled at him and just as he's about to grab hold of him to prevent him from falling down from the edge of the ridge, he was already too late. Dyne let himself fall back down from the edge of the ridge and he disappear into the dark chasm below. "Dy-ne!" Barret yelled again as he fell to his knees at the edge of the ridge, looked down with horror and despair on his face as he saw his friend fall down again before his eyes. "…Dyne. Me an' you were the same…" said Barret in an anguish tone of voice to himself. "My hands ain't nay cleaner… I shouldn't be able to carry… Marlene either…" Barret shake his head fiercely before he threw his head back and screamed loudly, furiously at the sky.

Both Cloud and Angelina winced at Barret's scream of anguish and stared at Barret pitifully, same goes for Laina but it also make her remember a few years back when she try to grab and save her mentor, Genesis in the mako reactor near Modeoheim and failed to do so. Laina shake the memory away, approach Barret and placed a hand on his left shoulder. Barret glance up at her for a while then he slowly stood up, turned around and followed her, Cloud and Angelina out and away from the place, back to where their other friends were waiting.

XXXX

After Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Barret went back into the old, abandoned house where their friends were waiting (they were relieved to see Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Barret came back safely), Barret decided to leave and find someone who could help getting them out of the prison. Both Cloud and Angelina decided to go with him, Laina told them that she won't be going with them this time and Tifa volunteer to go with them instead. And so the four of them leave the others waiting in the old, abandoned house again.

After Laina, Kunsel and the others with them both waited for Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret to return for an hour, a grey-haired man in a green business suit which they've never met before suddenly came into the house and told them all that they're now free to leave Corel Prison thanks to Cloud winning the Chocobo race. Furthermore, he told them that Dio apologized for the grave misunderstanding and that he had prepared a red-coloured buggy car and a yellow chocobo for them as apology gifts. The grey-haired, green business suit man then left them all and as they all went out of the house, they saw that there's indeed a red-coloured buggy car and a yellow Chocobo waiting for them.

Soon after the grey-haired, business suit man gave them the red-coloured buggy car and the yellow Chocobo and left, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret returned to them and they then began to climb into the red buggy car one by one. Cloud was sitting in the driver's seat, Angelina and Tifa sat on the passenger seat next to him (Tifa had to sit on top of Angelina's legs so that the both of them could fit in the same seat), Barret, Kunsel, Carter and Cait Sith sat in the seat behind them, with Nina, Yuffie and Red XIII sitting on top of their legs. As for both Laina and Aeris, they decided to ride on the yellow Chocobo since there's not enough space for them both in the red buggy car. Laina climbed onto the Chocobo, helped Aeris climbed onto it and she sat behind Laina.

"So where do we go now, Cloud?" Aeris asked Cloud as she glance down and through the red buggy driver's open window at him while she sat on top of the Chocobo behind Laina.

Everyone glance at Cloud, who kept quiet for a few seconds before he tell them his answer.

"To Gongaga." Cloud told them all. After he told them the next destination, Aeris heard a light gasp from Laina, looked at her and saw that she had a shock look on her face now.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: Return to Gongaga**

Cloud drove the red buggy car (with most of his friends/companions sitting in the car next to him and behind him) out of the hot, large desert plain and deadly pits of quicksand of the Desert Prison, away from the huge Gold Saucer building then turned the red buggy car to the left and drove across the large, flat green grassy plain and the dark, blue-coloured river (drove across the shallow light blue part of the river, of course) which separated the southern part of the Western Continent in front of them (while both Laina and Aeris, who's sitting/riding on top of the yellow Chocobo and which Laina gave the name Celeste, followed near the red buggy car). Thanks to the specially designed track wheels on the red buggy car and Aeris helpful guidance as she guided them the way, they were able to crossed the river easily, which sends sprays of clear water to fly up from the track wheels into the air. After Cloud drove the red buggy car over the river, they soon saw a fairly dense, small and compact greenish forest with the tops of some kind of spiky, tall black structure building pointing up in the air, above and beyond the trees deep within the small forest.

"There it is, Cloud. Gongaga." said Angelina from the passenger seat next to Cloud (who nodded to her) while both she and Tifa glance at the forest and the tall, black structure building over the trees. When Cloud drove the red buggy car close enough for him, Angelina and Tifa to see the tall, black structure building clearly, they saw and realised that the tall, black structure building is yet another of Shinra's Mako Reactor.

"A mako reactor." said Cloud in a small voice (which got heard by the others in the car with him and they all fell silent) as he drove the red buggy car near the entrance of the forest, next to a small dirt path which leads into the forest. Cloud then turned off the red buggy car engine and he and his friends/companions soon got out of the car one by one (since the small dirt path is too small/narrow for the red buggy car to drive through). Laina ride Celeste next to the red buggy car, stopped and climbed down then turned and helped Aeris to climbed down from Celeste before she tie Celeste reins on the side window of the red buggy car to prevent Celeste from running off (at the same time, both Tifa and Kunsel noticed the sad look in her eyes and they know how painful it is for Laina to be near the hometown of her deceased husband, Zack).

Cloud and his friends/companions then went through the entrance of the forest and walked down the small dirt path. As they walked on, they noticed that the forest was utterly devoid of any sounds of living things (except for the breeze of the wind fluttering through the leaves of the trees and the sounds of their footsteps stepping on dirt, small pebbles and small tree twigs lying on the dirt path), no birds chirping on the trees and no scurrying squirrels or mices on the trees/ground. After they walked for a few minutes down the path, Cloud heard the faint sound of someone whispering at the path ahead of them, which curved slightly to the left and hidden behind a clump of trees and bushes, preventing him and the others behind him from seeing who is it.

" _Is someone there?"_ Cloud thought to himself before he looked over his shoulders at the others standing behind him and he raised his left hand to the others to tell them to be silent (which they all nodded silently). Cloud and his friends/companions then lowered their bodies to the side of the clump of trees and bushes to keep themselves hidden before they all slowly crept forward toward the curve of the path ahead of them and they peer around the corner. Around the corner, they saw that the path which they had been walking on ahead of them is split into two paths, one path going ahead which leads to Gongaga village and a second one to the right which leads to the Mako Reactor. And standing at the path which leads to Gongaga village were several members of the Turks, Reno, Rude, Crisis, Phemie and 5 other Turks which Cloud and the others never met before, one short black-haired woman (named Helen) holding three small black kunais in her left hand, one long, dark-grey haired woman (named Fiona) wearing black fighter gloves (like both Rude and Tifa), one black-haired, spectacled guy (named Mark) holding a samurai sword in his right hand, one short/wavy blonde-haired guy (named Neal) holding a nunchaku in his left hand and one orange-haired, dark sunglasses guy (named Brian) holding a huge, menacing-looking broadsword in his right hand.

"It's the Turks!" whisper Barret angrily to Cloud and the others in front of him.

"What are they doing here in Gongaga?" whisper Angelina, glancing at Cloud.

"Shhh, be quiet." Cloud whisper back to both Barret and Angelina and they lapsed into silence.

"Hey, Rude." said Reno suddenly as he glance at Rude, who's standing between Mark and Neal. "Who do you like?"

Cloud and his friends/companions watched in silence as Rude glance at Reno blankly before his face turn slightly red and he quickly turned around to looked away from Reno, crossing his arms.

"What're you getting all embarrassed about, Rude?" said Reno teasingly at Rude.

"Come on, Reno." said Mark with a dismay sigh at Reno. "Leave Rude alone."

"If he doesn't want to say who is it then don't make him say it, Reno." said Helen.

"Lay off, Mark, Helen." said Reno with a lazy wave of his hand to them both. "I just wanted to know. So, come on, Rude. Who do you like?" Reno asked Rude again, ignoring the other two Turks named Mark and Helen.

Rude didn't answer Reno's question and refused to look at him. After a few seconds, he shake his head lightly and muttered a single word under his breath, "…Tifa."

Both Reno and Neal widened their eyes and jumped about a few metres in the air in shock before they compose themselves.

"Are you serious? You like Tifa, that tough, black-haired, martial arts chick?" said Neal in an incredulous tone of voice.

Rude nodded.

"Hmmmmm…" said Reno as he raised his left hand to scratch the back of his head thoughtfully. "That's a tough one, Rude. But poor Elena. She… you…"

Rude turned around to glance at Reno and shake his head. "No, Reno. She likes Tseng."

"Say what? I never knew that!" said Reno, in shocked for the second time.

"Well, duh. It's obvious, Reno." said Crisis to Reno as he let out a dismay sigh while Phemie chuckled a little.

"And here I thought that Tseng like that Ancient girl named Aeris…" said Reno.

"What the heck are they talking about?" said Cloud quietly to himself.

"Duh. It's obvious that they're talking about which girls they like and don't like, Cloud." Carter told him in a small voice from behind and with a smirk on his face. He then glance over at Nina, gave her a wink, causing her face to turned red and she quickly looked away from him.

"It's so stupid!" exclaimed a female voice from behind them suddenly, making Cloud and his friends/companions jumped a little before they all stood up, turned around and saw the short, blonde-haired female Turk named Elena standing behind them, staring over Cloud and his friends/companions shoulders at her fellow Turks members with a cross expression on her face. "They always talk about who they like or don't like, especially Reno. But Tseng is different." Elena lapsed into silence suddenly, looked at Cloud and his friends/companions standing before her (some of them staring at her with amused looks on their faces), realised who they're and jumped violently. "Ah! Oh no!" said Elena and before Cloud and his friends/companions could stop her, she run past them toward her fellow Turks members. "They're here!" she told them in a loud voice. "All of them are really here!"

Reno, Rude, Crisis, Phemie and the other Turks all turned to glance at Elena as she run toward them then they all lifted their heads and saw Cloud and his friends/companions standing on the path behind them.

"Hmmm… Then it's time…" said Reno calmly before he exchange glances with Rude, Crisis, Phemie and the other Turks. "Rude… don't go easy on them even though some of them are girls."

"…Don't worry, I'll do my job." replied Rude.

"We all will, Reno." said Mark.

"And Phemie, don't you hold yourself and Crisis back from Laina just because she's your older sister, alright?" Reno told her.

"… I know, Reno." replied Phemie in a small voice. Crisis glance at her and his hand reached out to clasped her hand reassuringly. She glance at him and smiled.

"Then, we're counting on you all. I'll go and report to Tseng!" said Elena as she raised her hand and briefly saluted her fellow Turks before she turned and quickly run down the right path which leads to the Gongaga Mako Reactor, leaving Reno, Rude, Crisis, Phemie and the other Turks behind to deal with Cloud and his friends/companions. Once she's out of their sight, both the Turks members and Cloud and his friends/companions began to approach each other casually yet warily.

"It's been a while." said Reno as he glance particularly at Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret with a smug look on his face (while Laina glance silently at both Phemie and Crisis, who also glance at her silently). "Payback time for what you all did back in Sector 7."

"Payback time for what we did back in Sector 7? Yeah, right." said Angelina, glaring at Reno. "All we do is trying to stop you from destroying the pillar and we failed miserably."

"Shut your mouth, girl." said Brian to Angelina rudely.

"Get out of our way." growled Cloud, mentally furious that Reno was talking about the fight they had with him on top of the pillar instead of the destruction and deaths of Sector 7 and its peoples. He and his friends/companions then placed their hands on their weapons, ready for battle (except for both Cait Sith, Nina and Carter).

"I don't like being taken for a fool by all you AVALANCHE people." said Reno, frowning at Cloud and his friends/companions.

"You know what, Reno? You're right." said Laina as she glance at Reno. "You're not a fool, you're a cold-hearted and ruthless Turk."

Both Angelina and Tifa chuckled when they heard Laina insulted Reno, who looked away from Cloud and glared at Laina.

"Listen, how about if you all hand the Ancient girl over to us, then we'll let you guys go free." said Fiona to Cloud and his friends/companions as she raised and pointed her finger at Aeris.

"Sorry, not a chance in hell." said Laina, looking away from Reno and glaring at Fiona, who sighed deeply.

"That's as far as you all can go." said Rude.

Right after Rude finished speaking to them, Reno pulled his eletromagnetic rod out from within his dark blue suit jacket, pointed it at Cloud and shot three yellow-coloured energy balls (named Turk Lights). Cloud saw the energy balls coming at him and he quickly raised and swung his sword to cut down the energy balls before they could struck him. Soon after Reno began attacking Cloud, Reno's fellow Turks members and Cloud's friends/companions charge toward each other and they began fighting as well.

Angelina immediately ran forward to help Cloud in his fight against Reno with her naginata in her hands while Tifa ran toward Rude (who raised both of his clenched fists/arms before him in a defensive position against her) with both of her gloved fists clenched and ready. But when she began punching him with all of her might, he would simply blocked each of her punches with his fists/arms, making her unable to hurt him, except his fists/arms. As for the others, Laina found herself facing both Crisis and Phemie, who charge toward her with their electromagnetic rod and twin Orichalcum dagger weapons and Laina raised Geneva saber before her and exchange several slashes, hits and cuts with them both (she try to not hurt Phemie too much), Kunsel facing against Brian (both of them charge toward each other with their swords raised and there was a loud clash of metal against metal as their two swords collide and clashed against each other), Barret against Mark (Barret raised his gun-arm at Mark and fired several bullets at him, Mark dodged the bullets before he charge toward Barret with his samurai sword and slash his body several times, causing Barret to gritted his teeth in pain before he pull out some Hi-potions from his right pocket to healed himself), Aeris against Helen (Helen threw several of her black kunais at Aeris, who quickly dodged and deflected them away from striking her with her long metal staff) and both Red XIII and Yuffie against both Fiona and Neal. Red XIII run then jumped up and down toward Neal with his jaws open, intend to clamped his jaws on Neal's left arm to force him to dropped his nunchaku weapon but before he could do so, Fiona jumped up toward Red XIII with her own fists clenched and ready and she punched Red XIII face and stomach hard, causing Red XIII to yelped in pain, flew away from both Fiona (who landed on the ground safely after she punch/hit Red XIII away) and Neal and his back crashed against a nearby tree hard (which make him yelped in pain again) before he fell down onto the ground, whimpering a little. Yuffie saw Red XIII got injured by Fiona and she swung her huge, silver-coloured shuriken and some black kunais of her own at both Fiona and Neal, causing them both to dodged her weapons and Yuffie use the chance to run toward Red XIII and healed him with some Hi-potions.

Both the Turks members and Cloud and his friends/companions fought each other for a while (and they use some of their limit breaks like "Blade Beam", "Satellite Beam", "Exodus Blades", "Beat Rush" and "Somersault" on them) until they all heard the sound of a loud beeping coming from Rude's right arm. Both group ceased their fighting, broke apart from each other and Reno and the other Turks members looked over at Rude, who pull the dark blue sleeve of his right arm back and pushed a button on his watch, stopping the beeping sound. Rude then glance up at Reno and his fellow Turks members, gave them a nod and Reno smiled before he and his fellow Turks turned to looked back at Cloud and his friends/companions.

"We'll be retreating now, but… don't think that you all have won." Reno said to them with a smirk on his face.

"…." said Rude silently before he, Reno and all the other Turks members turned around and fled away from them and the area, running down the same path which Elena just did toward the Mako Reactor. Once they're all gone, Cloud and his friends/companions put their weapons back behind them before Cloud turned around to glance at them.

"… Something's wrong here." said Aeris, voicing the same troubling thoughts which is now coursing through everyone's minds. "… How could they know that we were coming here."

"They must have followed us…" said Cloud as he nodded slowly in agreement at what Aeris said. "But there weren't any signs of it. Then, that means…"

"Spies within our group, maybe?" said Barret as he glance suspiciously at everyone else (who also glance at Barret and at each other suspiciously), particularly at Cait Sith, Nina and Carter.

"Why are you looking at us for?" said Carter, noticing that Barret's staring suspiciously at him, Nina and Cait Sith.

"Don't tell me that you think the three of us are the spies?" said Nina, shocked that Barret would assumed the worse of them.

"Come on, just because we are new to the group doesn't mean that we're the spies!" said Cait Sith with a pleading look on his face at Cloud.

Cloud turned to looked away from them, crossed his arms over his chest and began to ponder deeply. " _If there really is some spies planted within my group of friends/companions, then it would be a problem for us all. For the spies would report everything we do and where we would head to next back to Shinra company. The big question is, who is the spies? Angelina? Tifa? Laina? Barret? Aeris? Kunsel? Red XIII? Yuffie? Cait Sith? Nina or Carter?"_ thought Cloud to himself before he shook his head fiercely, blocking out the troubling thoughts.

"I don't even want to think that there's some spies amongst us…" said Cloud to the others, breaking away the uneasy silence which had descended upon them before he turned around and saw that some of them (Barret, Angelina, Tifa and Laina) still had suspicious looks on their faces at everyone else. "I trust everyone here." Cloud told them in a reassured tone of voice.

Slowly, Cloud's reassuring words eases everyone's suspiciousness on each other and they feel a little relieved. Cloud then turned away from them again and he began to walked down the right path toward the Gongaga Mako Reactor, with the others following behind him. They walked down the path, approach and went through the entrance in front of the mako reactor (and fight some Heavy Tank monsters along the way) and they saw that the reactor's inside been destroyed/ruined, with countless metallic wreckages all around the reactor and with thick layer of rust and dust all over its surface.

"A ruined reactor." said Cloud grimly as he and his friends/companions stared up at the ruined reactor (Laina remember that this is the place where she, Zack, Selwyn and Director Lazard teamed up to fight against Hollander and two of Genesis copies to prevent them from taking Cloud and Angelina away and won against all three of them), all of them weren't surprised that Shinra company hadn't lifted a finger to cleaned up the reactor's mess and rebuilt it again, just like the reactor built in Corel. As they all stood there staring at the destroyed mako reactor, a faint sound of whirring blades caught their attention and they all turned around to looked back down at the entrance path and they soon saw the source of the noise.

It was a helicopter with the infamous logo of Shinra company painted on the left side of its door as it flew rapidly toward the Gongaga mako reactor before it slowly descend down near the entrance of the reactor and its left side door opened outward to reveal Director Scarlet (who had a look of utter disgust on her face when she saw the ruined mako reactor before her) and Tseng sitting inside the helicopter. Both Scarlet and Tseng stepped down from the helicopter, nodded to each other before they proceeded to went through the entrance toward the reactor, where Cloud and his friends/companions were still standing.

"It's Scarlet, Head of Shinra Weapon Development." Cloud whispered to himself and to the others with him.

"Everyone, hide now!" added Laina to the others and they all quickly turned around, run and hide within various corners of the ruined reactor (like behind large, broken chunks of metal or large and empty gas tanks) before both Scarlet and Tseng could spotted them. Once all of them have hidden themselves well enough, they peered out from their hiding places to see them both. They saw Scarlet marched firmly toward the ruined mako reactor, stopped and bend her head down to looked into its wreckages while Tseng stopped a few metres behind her, his eyes and ears on alert for any signs of trouble around him and Scarlet.

"… Humph! This isn't any good either." huffed Scarlet angrily while shaking her head fiercely, which causes her blonde hair to swayed around her face. "You only get useless, junky materia from useless, junky mako reactors." said Scarlet before she gave the side of the ruined reactor a sharp and hard kick from her red-coloured high heels, turned around and walked back toward Tseng. "This reactor's an utter failure. What I'm looking for is some kind of rare, big, large, huge materia. You seen any lately?" Scarlet asked Tseng.

"… No, I haven't seen any huge materia. Neither do my fellow Turks members/colleagues." replied Tseng while he shakes his head in sorrow/dismay. "I'll get on it right away."

"Please." said Scarlet. "We could make the "Ultimate Weapon" if we only had some."

Cloud and his friends/companions ears perked up when they heard the words "Ultimate Weapon" coming from her lips and they peered out a little more from their hiding places to see and hear more clearly on what Scarlet was saying while being careful not to make themselves visible to both Scarlet and Tseng.

"I just can't wait." said Tseng.

"With Hojo gone, the Weapon Development's been getting a bigger budget." said Scarlet with a smug look on her face now.

"How I envy them." said Tseng.

"But…" added Scarlet with a thoughtful look on her face now, which replaced her earlier smug look. "Even if we could somehow make the perfect, ultimate weapon, could that stupid Heidegger even use it?"

Tseng stayed silent, turned around and looked away from Scarlet. Scarlet noticed it, turned to looked at him in bewilderment for a few seconds before she realised what she just say in front of Tseng.

"Oh… sorry!" exclaimed Scarlet to Tseng in a mock sincerity tone of voice. "I forgot that Heidegger was your boss! Ha ha ha ha!"

"…" said Tseng, still in silence.

"Let's go!" said Scarlet seriously and sharply to Tseng (after she's done laughing) before she walked past Tseng toward the helicopter. Tseng turned and followed behind her without saying anything and the both of them climbed into the interior of the helicopter, closed the helicopter left-side door and the blades above the helicopter began to turned on and moved rapidly before the helicopter rise up into the air, turned and headed back the way it came from, away from the ruined reactor. Once the helicopter is far away in the distance blue sky, Cloud and his friends/companions came out from their hiding places and discuss among themselves about what they just heard.

"Did you guys heard what she just said?" said Cloud as he stared at the others with him.

"We did." said Angelina with a nod of her head.

"She says that she's looking for some rare, big, large, huge materia." said Laina, crossing her arms.

"Plus, she said that she's gonna use it to make/built some kind of perfect, ultimate weapon." said Kunsel.

"Just what kind of sinister plan is the Shinra company about to do now?" said Tifa with a dark look on her face.

"Whateve' they're up too, it can't be good." said Barret in an angry tone of voice.

Cloud and his friends/companions then lapsed into silence until Cloud told them that he's heading toward Gongaga village. Angelina, Tifa, Aeris, Barret, Red XIII, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter decided to go with him except for Laina (who choose to stay behind at the ruined reactor) and Kunsel (who choose to stay behind with her). Cloud stared at them both for a few seconds before he shrugged his shoulders, tell them both that they'll come back for them before he turned around and walked down the path, away from the ruined reactor with the others following behind him. Once they're gone, Kunsel turned to glance at Laina.

"You're afraid of seeing them, is it, Laina?" Kunsel asked her.

"Yeah, that's right, Kunsel." replied Laina sadly. "I'm not ready to see them both yet and told them that their son is dead for the past 2 years."

Kunsel stared at her sadly and in silence before he approach her and placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. After a few seconds, they both heard the sound of footsteps approaching the ruined reactor and they swiftly turned to see who is it. Laina froze when she saw the person (who's a guy and who had short, straight black hair, wearing a white T-shirt with a dark green cotton jacket over it, long, dark grey pants with matching shoes) approaching the reactor and them both (and who also froze in surprise when he lifted his head and saw her), for she recognized him as Selwyn Rexley, Zack's childhood friend who live in Gongaga.

"I don't believe it. It's you!" said Selwyn as he stared at Laina with widened, brown-coloured eyes.

"Hello, Selwyn." Laina greeted in a small voice. "It's been a while."

"You know this guy, Laina?" Kunsel asked her as he looked at Selwyn.

"Yeah, Kunsel. He's…" Laina began saying but got cut off when Selwyn suddenly approach her and grasped her shoulders.

"Where the hell have you and Zack gone off to for the past two years? Who is this guy and why are you with him now instead of my friend, Zack? Don't you know how worried Zack's parents is when they didn't heard or received any letters from him and you? Doesn't Zack care about his parents at all? Where is Zack?" Selwyn asked her in a frantic tone of voice.

"Selwyn, I…" said Laina, trying to calm Selwyn down but she didn't have to as Kunsel grabbed Selwyn's back, pull him away from her and he stood in front of her.

"Calm yourself down now." Kunsel told Selwyn in a cold voice.

Selwyn glared at Kunsel for a few seconds then he heeded his words and slowly calm himself down. Once he's calm down enough, Selwyn then glance at Laina who's still standing behind Kunsel and she step out from behind him and tell Selwyn the entire story after both she and Zack left Gongaga 2 years ago.

XXXX

Cloud and the others walked down the other dirt path which led to Gongaga village/town and upon entering the village/town, they saw that there was a large, rectangular graveyard built near the entrance of the village/town of Gongaga, filled with old graves roughly dug in the dirt, topped by old dark, grey-coloured gravestones with the names of the deceased roughly carved onto it (with an elderly, grey-haired woman in a navy, blue dress kneeling before one of the graves and put a bouquet of flowers in front of the gravestone) while the village/town of Gongaga was built within a large, circular dirt clearing where most of the trees had been cut down to make way for the small red, brick houses with blue, triangular roofs above them for the inhabitants of Gongaga to live in, which were scattered throughout the circular, dirt clearing.

Angelina, Tifa, Aeris and Nina glance sympathetically at the graveyard and silently prayed for the deceased before they continue following after Cloud and the other guys (and one robot cat on a Mog-machine) as they went deep into the center of the village/town and they looked around the place and the houses. Cloud then led the others down toward one of the houses in the far southern part of the village/town, opened the wooden door and went through it into the house.

Once they're inside the house (which had a homely yet loneliness/loss feeling within the house), they saw an elderly couple sitting on two wooden chairs near a round-shaped wooden table in the middle of the room, with two beds against the wall and next to a door which lead into another room behind the elderly man (named Zander Fair) and a long, rectangular table with some pictures on them behind the elderly woman (named Carmen Fair). Zander lifted his head to glance at Cloud and his friends/companions when they entered the house.

"Are you all travelers?" Zander asked them as he looked at them one by one until his eyes landed on both Cloud and Angelina and he widened his eyes a little. "Hey, wait a minute, those glares in both your eyes… were you two in SOLDIER?"

Zander's statement causes his wife, Carmen to hastily stood up from the chair she's sitting on and she looked at both Cloud and Angelina with a hopeful look on her worn and wrinkled face. "Oh, you're right, Zander honey! Do you two know anything about our son?"

"His name is Zack Fair." added Zander.

When both Aeris and Tifa heard him say that name, they froze in shocked and gasped lightly.

"It's been close to 10 years since he left the village for the city, saying that he didn't want to live in the country…" said Carmen.

"He left saying that he's going to joined SOLDIER. You two ever heard of a Zack in SOLDIER?" Zander asked both Cloud and Angelina.

Both Cloud and Angelina thought silently for a while but they couldn't remember of ever seeing someone named Zack in SOLDIER.

"No, we don't, sorry." replied Angelina.

"Hmmm… we don't know." said Cloud, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh…" said Carmen as she slightly lowered her head in dismay then lifted her head to glance at them both again. "Then what about our daughter-in-law? Have you two heard of her? Because just like our son, she's also in SOLDIER."

A nagging feeling rise up within both Cloud and Angelina's mind and Angelina decided to asked Carmen about their daughter-in-law name to confirm it. "Who is she? Your daughter-in-law, that is?"

"She is Laina Donovan." Zander answered Angelina's question, causing both Cloud and Angelina (and the others with them) to froze in surprised and shocked when they heard what he just said.

" _Laina was married to this "Zack" guy before? If that's true then why didn't she told us about it?"_ thought Cloud to himself.

" _That would explain a lot on why she would act all frigid toward the guys who try to hit on her, ask her out on dates and the blue, lapis lazuli silver ring she wore on her left hand finger."_ thought Angelina to herself as she think back about it.

Cloud, Angelina, Barret, Red XIII, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter were broke out from their surprised/shocked thoughts when they noticed both Aeris and Tifa quickly turned away from them out of the corners of their eyes and walked swiftly through the door, out of the house. Cloud, Angelina and the others stared in surprised at their sudden bizarre attitude before both Cloud and Angelina walked out of the house to search for them both, leaving the others behind in the house with Zack's parents.

Both Cloud and Angelina looked around the place for both Aeris and Tifa and they soon saw/found them both. Aeris is standing near a house which is opposite Zack's parents house while Tifa is standing near another house far from Zack's parents house to the northern part of the clearing. Both Cloud and Angelina then decided to split up and talked to them both, Angelina went toward Aeris while Cloud went toward Tifa.

XXXX

"What's wrong, Aeris?" Angelina asked as she approach her.

"What a shock…" said Aeris to Angelina without turning around. "I didn't know that Zack was from this village/town."

"Do you know him?" Angelina asked her.

Slowly Aeris turned around to glance up at Angelina and nodded. "Yes, I know him…and Laina too. They were my friends a few years ago. We use to spend time together in the church in Sector 5 slums."

"I see…" said Angelina in a small voice.

"Zack and Laina…" said Aeris as she sighed heavily. "SOLDIER First Classes. Just like you and Cloud."

"That's strange, because there aren't many who managed to make it into First Class." said Angelina. "But neither I nor Cloud have ever heard of him and Laina never told us about him either."

"I'm sure she has her own reason in not telling you both, Angelina." said Aeris with a small smile on her face before she turned to looked away from Angelina.

"But even so, she could have…" Angelina began saying and got cut off by Aeris.

"Angelina, please. Don't force or pressure Laina to tell you and Cloud about it yet." Aeris told her. "When she's ready to tell you and Cloud about it, she will. For now, just wait patiently."

Angelina was about to protest against it but the "brook-no-argument" look on Aeris face halted her from saying anything and she lapsed into silence. The both of them then turned and headed back into Zack's house.

XXXX

"Zack…" Tifa whisper in a small voice, not noticing that Cloud slowly approach her from behind.

"Do you know him, Tifa?" Cloud asked her.

Tifa jumped in shocked when she heard Cloud's voice from behind her before she recovered her composure then turned around to glared at Cloud. "N, no, I don't know him!" stammered Tifa in a quick voice.

"Really? Your face and tone of voice tells me differently." said Cloud as he crossed his arms in front of him, waiting for Tifa's explanation.

"I told you, I don't!" Tifa snapped at him angrily.

Cloud uncrossed his arms and took a step back from her. "A, all right." said Cloud, surprised at Tifa's sudden defensive attitude.

Tifa herself was surprised at her own attitude as well and she turned to looked away from Cloud, in embarrassment.

"…You know, what they say to us just now, it sounds just like both you and Angie." said Tifa suddenly to Cloud. "Both of you leaving your hometown and telling us that you two will be joining SOLDIER."

"There were a lot of guys like that back then." Cloud said to her.

"You and Angie must really be something to make it into SOLDIER out of a group like that," Tifa said to him. "I really respect you both…"

"Well, the both of us did work really hard for it. And not only that, Laina encouraged and helped us with it…" Cloud began saying then lapsed suddenly into silence, thinking about the words he just heard from Zack's parents and about what Laina neglected to tell both him and Angelina.

"Cloud?" said Tifa, noticing that Cloud didn't say anything.

"Why didn't Laina told us that she use to be married to this "Zack" person?" said Cloud angrily.

"I don't know, Cloud." said Tifa as she turned her face away, not looking at Cloud. "Maybe because she has her own reason that she didn't tell you and Angie about it."

Cloud stared at Tifa, who stared back at him with a small smile on her face and the angry look on his face fade away before they both turned and headed back into Zack's house to gather the others waiting for them. After Cloud and his friends/companions bade farewell to Zack's parents, they all left the house, turned to their left, walked down the dirt path out of Gongaga's village/town then turned to their right and walked down the path toward the ruined mako reactor where both Laina and Kunsel were waiting.

XXXX

"So, you're telling me that my childhood friend, Zack is dead for the past two years? Right after you and him left Gongaga with Cloud and Angelina who use to be in a mako poisoning/catatonic state but is all better now and Lazard and headed toward Banora ruined village where you and Zack fought against a guy named Genesis together and won." said Selwyn with a pain/anguish look on his face.

"Yes, that's right." said Laina with a sad nod of her head.

"After you two defeat him, Lazard died and both you and Zack carry and bring both Cloud and Angelina away from Banora, leaving that Genesis guy behind, hitch a ride toward Midgar because both you and Zack wanted to get your younger sister and Aeris out and away from Midgar and Zack died protecting you, Cloud and Angelina from the Shinra army, is it?" continue Selwyn.

"Yes, Selwyn." said Laina again.

"What in the hell were you and Zack thinking, going back to Midgar together just to get two people who's close to you both away from Shinra company?" snarled Selwyn as he glared angrily at Laina. "The two of you shouldn't have went back to Midgar and because of that stupid decision which you two decide to do, Zack is dead!"

"Hey, watch it!" shouted Kunsel angrily at Selwyn. "You're not the only one who's grieving here! The same goes for both me and Laina too!"

"You think I don't regret it, Selwyn?" said Laina angrily at Selwyn. "I've been regretting and blaming myself for Zack's death ever since then! But at the time, the two of us just wanted to get the two persons we cared about out and away from Midgar!"

"Oh, really?" sneered Selwyn. "Good job on that one."

"Why you…" Kunsel snarled at Selwyn before he walked toward him, clench his hand into a tight fist, raised it and punched Selwyn's face hard. Laina gasped and Selwyn winced in pain from Kunsel's punch. "Don't you blame and get mad at her for it, Selwyn! Phemie, Zack and Aeris were three of the peoples she cared about and a part of her died when she loses Zack that day and never come back! So stop blaming her!"

"That's enough, Kunsel!" said Laina as she approach them both and pushed them away from each other. Both Kunsel and Selwyn stared at her for a few seconds then Kunsel's angry expression soften while Selwyn sighed and looked away.

"Laina, you also told me that those two can't remember anything about Zack and about part of everything that happened to you and them both before the three of you went into Midgar?" said Selwyn.

"Not a thing." said Laina as she shake her head sadly. "Both Cloud and Angelina think that they were First Class SOLDIER at the time instead of being infantrymens due to the terrible side-effects of the experiments that bastard Hojo did to us in Nibelheim six years ago. Several times during the past two years I wanted to tell them both the entire truth but I feared very much that telling them the entire truth would break both their minds and caused them both to revert back to their mako poisoning/catatonic state. That's the main reason why I can't bring myself to tell them."

Selwyn lowered his head and lapsed into silence for a while before he lifted his head to glance at her. "So, you're saying that it's Hojo and Shinra company faults for doing these terrible things to you and your friends, huh?"

"Yes, that's right." said Kunsel.

"If that's the case then I'm going with you guys." said Selwyn as he raised both of his hands in front of his face and clench them into tight, angry fists. "I wanted to avenged my childhood friend and bring hell to Hojo and Shinra company."

"Are you sure about that, Selwyn?" Laina asked him.

"Yes, I'm sure about it, Laina." replied Selwyn.

"Alright then, you can come with us." said Laina. "But I won't let you have Hojo, he's mine and he'll die terribly by my hands."

"We'll see about that, Laina." said Selwyn as he gave her a smirk.

After their conversation, the three of them heard the sounds of more footsteps coming toward them and they looked and saw that it's Cloud and the others. Cloud and his friends/companions were surprised to see another guy with Laina and Kunsel and when Laina introduced Selwyn to them and told Cloud that Selwyn wants to come with them, Cloud sighed and agreed to let him joined them on their journey before he and the others (along with Laina, Kunsel and Selwyn now) turned around, walked down the path away from the ruined reactor, all of them backtrack the way they came from until they reached the place where they parked the red buggy car and the Chocobo Celeste. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Kunsel, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and Selwyn went and sit inside the red buggy car while both Laina and Aeris climbed onto Celeste, all of them turned to their left and they drove and ride their red buggy car and Chocobo away from Gongaga.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34: Heading to Cosmo Canyon and meeting Bugenhagen**

As Cloud (who's driving the red buggy car) and his friends/companions and both Laina and Aeris (who's riding on Celeste) drove and ride away from Gongaga, they turned to their left and began to head toward the west, which is across another river on the other end of the continent. After Cloud drove the red buggy car and Laina ride Celeste across the river to the other end of the continent, they continue driving and riding on across the grassy plains, passing close to the perimeter of another forest which is larger than the one surrounding Gongaga and its ruined mako reactor and which grew alongside some tall, red-coloured rocky mountains that rose up and scattered all around the centre of the continent. On the other side of the red buggy car, Angelina, Tifa, Barret and Red XIII (who's sitting behind the two of them) could see the sandy shoreline as well as the ocean in the distance.

After 20 minutes of them driving and riding pass some red-coloured rocky mountains (and also avoiding some major rocky ditches and rises in the ground which would damage the buggy car with some help and guidance from Red XIII after he told them that he live near the area and he knows the area well enough), the buggy car which Cloud is driving stop suddenly near a red-coloured rocky mountain, began to emitted electricity from the engine before the engine let out a loud banging sound and abruptly cut itself off on them. Laina halted Celeste near the cut off buggy car and both she and Aeris watched as Cloud and his friends/companions quickly came out of the now cut off buggy car and stared at it.

"What's wrong with the buggy, everyone?" Aeris asked them.

"It just broke down suddenly." replied Cloud.

"Great. Just freaking great." said Barret in an irritated tone of voice. "Of all the times for it to have a breakdown, it had to be now. Where are we going to find someone who could…"

Barret's talking was cut off when Red XIII suddenly took off away from them toward the red-coloured rocky mountain nearby them. Cloud and his friends/companions saw him ran off before they quickly turned and left the buggy car and the Chocobo behind (Laina tied Celeste reins on the side window of the buggy car after both she and Aeris climbed off of Celeste), following after Red XIII.

As they all followed behind Red XIII toward the mountain, they saw that there's a strange-looking village of sorts which was built above the mountain and spreading across a fairly large, flat space which must have been carved artificially by the people who lived there instead of any signs of any machinery nor a Mako Reactor around to help them, which is a positive sign. A fair number of wooden huts (built with strong woods) with roofs made from thick, pliable and smooth green-coloured woods (so that the rain would slide off the roofs without damaging the huts) were scattered around the mountain. Most of the huts were built against the wall of the mountain while others were built up on wide ledges higher than the mountain wall and even within the mountain itself, visible only by some small wooden doors which leads into the mountain. Angelina, Aeris, Tifa, Yuffie and Nina were in awed by the beauty of the mountain village while Cloud, Laina and the others saw Red XIII began to run up a long set of rocky staircase which were carved perfectly against the rocky mountain leading up to the mountain village before they continue following after him up the rocky stairs.

"I am home!" Red XIII yelled loudly in a joy/relieved tone of voice at the man (or probably at everyone living in the mountain village) standing guard between two firm-looking, wooden poles with a huge, white-coloured banner with the words "Cosmo Canyon" written in black ink tied on the wooden poles (which is the entrance into the village) as he stop in front of him. "It is I, Nanaki!"

"Nanaki?" said Angelina, Aeris, Tifa, Yuffie and Nina as they raised their eyebrows in confusions.

"Hey, Nanaki! It is you!" exclaimed the man as he glance at Red XIII with a huge smile of happiness and relieve on his face before he kneel down to hugged him. "You're safe! Welcome back, Nanaki! Come on, and say hello to Bugenhagen!"

"Bugenhagen?" said Barret, Carter and Selwyn as they raised their eyebrows in confusions like the girls previously.

Red XIII nodded to the man before he quickly ran past the man, away from Cloud and the others into the village. Cloud and his friends/companions watch as Red XIII run up another set of rocky stairs behind the guardsman which were built alongside the mountain wall and which leads into the inner mountain village and a very large-looking tower which also combined as a house. They looked up and saw that the house above had a round-shaped blue-coloured roof with a balcony attached against the outside of the house and on the roof, they could also see a large slit hole on it with something like a telescope poking out of it and pointing/looking upward at the sky. After they're done looking at the house above, they slowly lowered their heads and approach the man who's waiting patiently for them at the entrance.

"Hello there, strangers. Welcome to Cosmo Canyon." said the man in a polite and cheerful tone of voice to Cloud and his friends/companions. "Are all of you familiar with this land, this mountain?"

Cloud looked over his shoulders at the others behind him, saw them slowly shaking their heads to him and he looked back at the man. "No, we don't." Cloud told him.

"I see. Then let me explain to you all." the man told them with an understanding nod. "People from all over the world gather here to seek the "Study of Planet Life"."

"Wooooooooo!" said Barret suddenly in a cheerful tone of voice while he raised and waved his arms in the air. "I always wanted to come here!"

"Ummgah!" the guardsman groaned loudly at them. "It's full capacity at the moment, so I'm afraid that I can't let any of you enter."

Barret heard what the guardsman just said and he slowly lowered his head to stared down at the ground, his earlier mood dampen by the guardsman. Tifa noticed it and she patted his shoulder a little. Right after the guardsman finished telling them about it, Red XIII suddenly run back down the rocky stairs toward them, overhearing their conversations and they all stared at him. "They helped me out a lot when I was on the road, Charlie. Please let them in."

After Red XIII told the guardsman named Charlie about how Cloud and his friends/companions helped him out, he turned around and run back up the rocky stairs, leaving Charlie to turned back and stared at Cloud and his friends/companions with a serious then grateful look on his face as he considers Red XIII words. "…Oh, is that so?" Charlie said to them and they all nodded (except Cait Sith, Nina and Carter). "You helped our Nanaki? Please, come in." Charlie then step aside for Cloud and his friends/companions to enter.

"Who is Nanaki?" Cloud asked Charlie, confused.

"Nanaki is Nanaki." replied Charlie in an "Isn't it obvious" tone of voice to Cloud. "That's his name."

Cloud, his friends/companions and Charlie then lapsed into silence before Cloud and his friends/companions walked past Charlie, through the entrance and into Cosmo Canyon village. Once they're in the village, they began to looked around the village with interest, for it was one of the most spectacular places which they had ever seen. There were quite a few people with looks of happiness and peace on their faces walking around the village and talking to each other (among the people, Angelina noticed a man wearing a mechanic outfit and she swiftly walked over to him and told him about their buggy car problem. The man listen to Angelina talk in silence then he told Angelina that he'll fix the buggy car as soon as possible and left the village), so much unlike the miserable and despair-looking faces which Cloud and his friends/companions had seen in places like North Corel and Gongaga during their journey and there's also a small bonfire on a semi-large, round-shaped rocky platform in the center of the village to their right. After Cloud and his friends/companions are done in looking around the place, they went up the rocky stairs which Red XIII run up to earlier and they saw him waiting for them halfway at the top of the stairs, looking down at them.

"Here is where I was… I mean…,… this is my hometown." Red XIII began telling Cloud and the others in an excited voice, barely speaking the words out properly in his excitement.

"Your hometown?" said Laina as she stared at Red XIII who nodded to her.

"Yeah. My tribe were protectors of those who appreciate this beautiful mountain/canyon and the Planet itself. My brave mother, Veanna, fought and died alone here in this mountain/canyon, abandon by my cowardly father… Now, I'm the last of my tribe." said Red XIII as he looked away from Cloud and the others up at the sky, which is rapidly turning to evening now.

"Cowardly father?" Cloud asked Red XIII, confused.

"Yes." said Red XIII in a small and ashamed tone of voice as he lowered his head to glance at them again. "My father was a cowardly wastrel. And thus the mission which I inherited from my mother and my ancestors, is to stay and protect this mountain, this land. My journey with you all ends here."

"Hey, Nanaki-! You're home!" yelled an elderly man's happy/relieved tone of voice from somewhere above them after Red XIII's done telling them his short tale. Red XIII eyes immediately brighten up with joy when he heard the voice of the elderly man yelling down to him and he turned away from Cloud and the others to looked up at the top of the mountain.

"Coming, Grandpa!" Red XIII yelled back to the elderly man above before he run up another set of stairs until he run through an open wooden door at the top of the stairs and disappear from their sights. Cloud and his friends/companions stared up at the open doorway which Red XIII just run into before they all turned to glance at each other.

"Good timin'." said Barret as he glance at the others. "Let's all take a breather here in this village."

"Oh, that's a good idea, Barret." said Aeris, nodding at Barret's suggestion. "You all should rest for a bit. There are some things here that I want to find out for myself."

"Then let's all split up and have our rest now." said Carter as he stretch both of his arms out to relieve his aching muscles (due to being cramped with the others in the buggy car for a while). Everyone then followed Barret, Aeris and Carter's suggestions and they parted ways, each of them went off to explore the various different parts of the Cosmo Canyon village on their own or take their rests, leaving Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris behind and standing at the top of the stairs. After Barret, Tifa, Kunsel, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and Selwyn were gone, Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris then turned and headed up the stairs toward the open doorway which leads into the inner part of the canyon, all four of them wanted to make sure if Red XIII is indeed planning to stay here and leave their group.

When Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris went through the open doorway into the inner canyon, they saw that there were many shops (Item shop, Materia shop, Weapons shop, Arms shop and others) and houses (and a sturdy-looking wooden ladder built against the rocky wall to their left) all carved and built inside the canyon along with some people inside.

"Looks like Red XIII isn't in this floor." said Aeris to Cloud, Angelina and Laina as she look around the place for him and didn't see him.

"If he's not here, then he must have climbed that ladder over there to our left up to the floor above." said Laina to Aeris as she glance at the ladder.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris then went toward the ladder and they began to climbed up the ladder one by one. The ladder led them up and through a narrow, rocky tunnel until they reached the top edge of the tunnel, climbed up and out from the ladder and tunnel, stood up to look around the place and they were surprised by what they saw. There was yet another house built on top of the mountain/canyon which is connected with a tall and huge cylindrical-shaped observatory next to it and as they continue looking around the place, they soon noticed that the lights were turned on in the house and heard the sound of Red XIII talking to someone inside. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris walked up to the door and Cloud raised his left hand and knocked on the door. Immediately they heard Red XIII ceased his talking and heard the same voice of the elderly man who called out to Red XIII minutes ago telling them to come in and they did.

Once all 4 of them are inside the house (which is slightly small, strange yet homely), they saw Red XIII standing/looking at them inside a small kitchen room (with a rectangular dining table in the middle of the kitchen room and a metal ladder against the wall in the right corner of the kitchen room which leads up to the observatory room) with his back to a closed-up metallic door and near a peculiar-looking elderly man (who's standing/floating with his back near a white refrigerator and a sink) with a bald head, white mustache and beard, black sunglasses on his old, wrinkly and kindly-looking face, wearing a long-sleeve blue shirt with a white shirt underneath it and long, green pants.

"Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris, this is my grandfather, Bugenhagen." said Red XIII as he introduced his grandfather to them. "He's an incredible elder. He knows everything."

"Hello, Mr Bugenhagen." greeted Laina.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr Bugenhagen." greeted Aeris as well.

"Ho Ho Hooooo." Bugenhagen laughed cheerfully as he glance at Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris, making both Angelina and Aeris jumped a little. "I hear from Nanaki that the 4 of you, along with others who's journeying with you 4 looked after him for a bit. Nanaki here is still a young child, you see."

"A young child?" said both Cloud and Angelina, slightly confused.

"Please stop, grandfather." said Red XIII in an embarrassed tone of voice as he turned to glance at Bugenhagen. "I'm 48 this year."

"Ho Ho Hooooo." Bugenhagen laughed again. "Nanaki's tribe has incredible longevity." he explained to them. "So as you 4 see his 48 years would only be equivalent to say that of a 15 or 16 years old in human reckoning."

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris widened their eyes in surprised at Bugenhagen's words and they turned their heads to glance at Red XIII, who's looking even more embarrassed now.

"15 or 16?" exclaimed Cloud.

"Wow, we totally didn't expect that you're as young as Yuffie, Red XIII." said Angelina.

"Goes to show that we really can't judge a book by its cover." said Laina and Aeris nodded at her words.

"He's quite a quiet and very deep child." said Bugenhagen. "You 4 thought that he's an adult?"

"Yeah." said Aeris, glancing at Bugenhagen.

Red XIII lowered his head and look down at the floor sheepishly. "… Grandfather, I want to hurry to be an adult." said Red XIII. "I want to grow up to be able to protect you and this village on this mountain/canyon."

"Ho Ho Hooooo. No, Nanaki." said Bugenhagen, sounding quite serious now. "You can't stand on your own yet. To do that now would destroy you in the long run." Bugenhagen raised his head to looked up at the ceiling. "Reaching up into the heavens, threatening to snatch the very stars from the huge, great city of Midgar. You've seen it, haven't you?" Bugenhagen glance back down at Red XIII and the others. "Well, that's a bad example. Looking up too much makes you or anyone else lose perspective."

Bugenhagen lapsed into silence and suddenly floated (or hopped) upwards onto the dining table, making Cloud, Angelina and Aeris to stared at him in surprise and Laina to frown at him, all 4 of them thinking on how he could moved/floated around the place without walking. "When it's time for this Planet to die, you'll understand that you know absolutely nothing." added Bugenhagen to them.

"… When this Planet dies?" said Cloud as he tilted his head slightly to the right in confusion.

"What do you mean by that, Mr Bugenhagen?" asked Angelina while the surprise and frown look on both Aeris and Laina's faces deepen.

"Ho Ho Hooooo. It may be tomorrow, or 100 years from now… But it's not long off." replied Bugenhagen.

"And just how do you know about this?" asked Laina.

"Simple, young lady. For I hear the cries of the Planet." said Bugenhagen to Laina.

"What?" said Aeris, surprised even more. "Are you an Ancient/Cetra too, like me?"

"No, I'm not, young lady." said Bugenhagen as he shook his head.

Just as Cloud was about to ask Bugenhagen another question, he, Angelina, Laina and Aeris soon heard the sounds of gushing winds or howling all around them throughout the house. All 4 of them looked up and around the house to find and see where the strange sounds come from but they couldn't find or see it anywhere.

"What's that?" Cloud asked Bugenhagen.

"These are the sounds of the bright stars up in the heavens." replied Bugenhagen. "While this sounds goes on, planets are born, and die."

At that moment the sounds of gushing winds and howling which Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris had heard soon faded away, only to be replaced by another different and unpleasant sounds, the sounds of a thousand people screaming and wailing out their pain, despair and anguish throughout the house. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris closed their eye and grimaced from the sad and painful screams around them while both Bugenhagen and Red XIII listens to the sounds with calm looks on their faces.

"What are these screaming sounds?" Angelina asked Bugenhagen in a sad and fearful tone of voice.

"Ho Ho Hooooo. That was a scream directly from the Planet." replied Bugenhagen calmly. "Didn't you all hear and felt it? As if they all say… I hurt, I suffer…"

"You may be right, Mr Bugenhagen." said Laina in a sad tone of voice as she open her eyes and the grimace look on her, Cloud, Angelina and Aeris faces slowly disappear after the sounds of the screaming and wailing from the Planet faded away. She, along with Cloud, Angelina and Aeris looked up at Bugenhagen and saw him looking down at them with a sympathy/sorrow look on his elderly face.

"Grandfather, they've come here on a journey to save the Planet." Red XIII told Bugenhagen. "Why don't you show them your apparatus?"

"Ho Ho Hooooo." laughed Bugenhagen as he turned to his right, floated slowly down from the dining table and landed on the floor. "To save the Planet? Ho Ho Hooooo! But, then again, I guess it wouldn't hurt to show them."

Right after Bugenhagen finish talking to them, the front door to Bugenhagen's house suddenly open inward, causing them all to turn around to see who is it and they saw that it's a man. He hurried into the house and stop in front of Bugenhagen, looking very anxious and nervous. "Bugenhagen! Several odd-looking people have come to the village." exclaimed the man.

"The whole place has gotten quite busy all of a sudden." said Bugenhagen.

"It must be the others." said Laina.

"I'll go out and gather them by the bonfire." Red XIII told Bugenhagen before he began to walked past Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Aeris and the man across the floor (who turned and follow behind Red XIII) when he suddenly stopped and turned back to glance at Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris. "Cloud, you and your three friends followed grandfather into his machine." Red XIII told them before both he and the man went through the open door and closed it behind them.

Once both Red XIII and the man are gone, Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris saw Bugenhagen floated toward the closed-up metallic door and unlocked it. He then opened the door and beckoned the 4 of them to come into the room with him and they did so. After they followed him into the room, they looked around and saw that the room was large and circular-shaped and in the center of the room, there's a round and strange-looking machine with a huge lever rising up out of it, with many wires sticking out at the bottom of the machine and all of the wires were attached to a peculiar-looking machine platform in one corner of the room.

"Let's begin then. All of you follow me and stand on the machine." Bugenhagen told them and they followed behind him then stood on the round and strange-looking machine while Bugenhagen himself floated away from them to the opposite side of the machine, pull the huge lever on the machine down and a few seconds later, the lights in the room suddenly dimmed down until it's almost enveloped in darkness. Another few second later, the lights in the room came back on and Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris felt the machine vibrate to life under their feet before it began to rise up off the floor toward the ceiling, taking Cloud, his three friends and Bugenhagen up with it. They all looked up and saw that the ceiling above them was curved round like a dome with a kind of large 3D holographic system program of outer space, with many bright stars on it, a sun in the middle and all the planets revolving around the sun on red lines that wound their way around the sun which marked the orbit of each planets as they move slowly across them, following their route.

"So pretty…" remarked Aeris as she looked at the 3D holographic system of outer space around her with awed in her green eyes. "It's just like the real thing!"

"This is pretty amazing." said Angelina as she look around with awed in her eyes as well. "Isn't it, Cloud, Laina?"

"Yeah, it is amazing, Angie." replied Cloud while Laina nodded in agreement to her.

"Hmmm, yes pretty good." said Bugenhagen as he floated up and away from them toward the huge Saturn planet, stopped there and look down at them (who also look up at him). "This is my laboratory. All the workings of space are entered into this 3D holographic system."

"Hey, everyone! Look, a shooting star!" Aeris cried out suddenly, causing Cloud, Angelina and Laina to turned to glance at her and they soon saw the shooting star which Aeris just told them seconds ago flew past behind her until it disappeared into the distance space. After the shooting star is gone, a bluish-green coloured planet with two small pale red planets which revolved around it revolved past in front of Aeris, so close that she wanted to reach out and touch it but feared that she might disturb the planet from its slow orbit path around the sun.

While Aeris was busy looking at the bluish-green planet with its two small pale red planets revolving around it (and both Cloud and Angelina were looking at the other planets), several meteor rocks began to fly over Laina's head, causing her to look away from Aeris, Cloud and Angelina at the meteors. Laina saw that the meteor rocks were flying up and away from the sun and the other planets toward the upper corner of the space, where there's a black hole in the middle of the space as it uses its powerful sucking force to draw the meteors into its dark centre before it crushes them into tiny pieces.

" _It's truly an amazing laboratory. Zack would be excited to see all this if he's still alive."_ thought Laina sadly to herself as she continue looking at the hologram system around her and her friends.

"Wow, how wonderful." said Aeris.

"Ho Ho Hooooo. Yes, it is something, isn't it?" said Bugenhagen, agreeing with Aeris. "Well then, let's get to the main subject."

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris all looked away from the revolving planets, meteors, shooting stars and black holes and they all looked up at Bugenhagen, waiting for him to begin his explanation.

"Eventually… all humans die." Bugenhagen began saying to them. "What happens to them after they die? The body decomposes, and returns to the Planet. That much everyone knows. But what about their consciousness, their hearts and their souls?" here Bugenhagen voice turn serious again. "The soul too returns to the Planet. And not only those of humans, but everything on this Planet. In fact, every living things in the entire universe, are the same. The spirits that return to the Planet, merged with one another and roam the Planet. They roam, converge, and divide, becoming a swell which is now called the "Lifestream". Lifestream… In other words, a path of energy of the souls roaming the Planet. "Spirit Energy" is a word that you all should never forget. A new life… childrens are blessed with Spirit Energy and are brought into the world. Then, the time comes when they die and once again return to the Planet… Of course there are exceptions, but this is the way of the world. I've digressed, but you 4 will understand better if you watch this."

Bugenhagen ceased talking and gently floated toward one of the Planet which is slowly rotating toward him while motioning for Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris to come a little closer to him and the Planet. They complied and approach him and the Planet and Bugenhagen pointed at the Planet, telling them to look at it and they did so.

They soon saw a lone figure of a man as he stands motionlessly on the surface of the Planet right between two pine trees, the man then stretched both of his arms out and he began to dissolved into bright yellow energy while the pine tree to his right also began to dissolve into bright pink energy before both of the energies fell into the ground, swirling/merged together then turned into green-coloured energy while heading toward the underside of the Planet until it reached the underside of the Planet and began to solidify, taking on the form of a newborn baby. The baby then grew rapidly into the same lone figure of the man which they saw seconds ago before the man dissolved into the ground and turned back into the swirl of yellow energy before it began to move slowly around the Planet again. Soon, countless other energies were beginning to swirl around the surface of the Planet until the Planet was teeming with a myriad of coloured energies which covers it.

"Spirit Energy makes all things possible, trees, birds and humans." said Bugenhagen as he stared at the swirling colourful energies which swirls around the Planet. "Not just all living things. But Spirit Energy makes it possible for Planets to be Planets. What happens if that Spirit Energy were to disappear?"

Bugenhagen then raised his hand and held it out before the Planet and Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris watched as the swirling colours on the Planet began to drift away from the Planet toward Bugenhagen's hand. After all of the energies got sucked into Bugenhagen's hand, the Planet itself rapidly turned black in colour until it's merely a black, lifeless ball floating in space. Then the Planet began to break apart and fell down into space.

"… These are the basics of the Study of Planet Life." Bugenhagen finished telling them.

After Bugenhagen's done telling them about it, Aeris lowered her head and looked down at the ground, feeling sad when she saw Bugenhagen raised his hand and sucked all the life and energy away from Planet, killing and reducing it into nothing more than a black and lifeless husk. She then felt someone place a hand on her shoulder to reassured her and she look up and saw that it's Laina. She smiled at her, grateful for her reassurance.

"If all the Spirit Energy is lost and gone, our Planet will be destroyed…" assumed Cloud as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Ho Ho Hooooo. Spirit Energy is efficient BECAUSE it exists within nature." said Bugenhagen. "When Spirit Energy is forcefully extracted, and manufactured, it can't accomplish its true purpose."

Realised what Bugenhagen was saying, Cloud uncrossed his arms and look up at Bugenhagen's serious face. "You're talking about Mako Reactors and Mako Energy, right?"

Bugenhagen nodded down at Cloud. "That's right, Cloud. Everyday Mako Reactors sucks up Spirit Energy, slowly diminishing it. Spirit Energy gets compressed inside those reactors and processed into Mako Energy. All living things are being used up mercilessly and thrown away like garbage. In other words, Mako Energy will destroy the entire world…"

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris all lapsed into silence and lowered their heads to look down at the ground as they absorbed Bugenhagen's words. They didn't noticed that Bugenhagen had floated down toward the lever, pull it up and the platform which they've been standing on began to descend down to the room below, the lights turn off, enveloping the room into almost darkness then turn back on.

"The story of the Planet… and those who lived with them…" said Bugenhagen to them and they all lifted their heads to glance at him. "You all want to know more about it? Then you all must listen to the words of the elders."

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris nodded to Bugenhagen and thanked him for his lesson and for showing them his scientific laboratory before they turned and walked out of his house, climbed down the ladder, walked down several rocky staircases away from the inner canyon and its shops/houses until they reached the center of the village where the bonfire is and where their other friends/companions were sitting in a circle in front of it. Both Cloud and Angelina went to sit near Tifa, Aeris went and sit between Barret and Yuffie while Laina went and sit next to Kunsel.

"Where did the 4 of you go off to?" Selwyn asked Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris as he glance at them.

"We went up to the top of the mountain/canyon and we met Bugenhagen, Red XIII's grandfather." replied Laina. "He showed us his laboratory and he told us a lot about the Study of Planet Life."

"Seriously?" said Barret. "Oh man, I should have gone up with you guys minutes ago!"

"We learned quite a few things from Bugenhagen's words and tale just now." said Aeris. "Me especially. I understand now on what the Planet was trying to say to me. It's wailing… because its Spirit Energy is being sucked out of it by the Mako Reactors…"

"Is there anything we can do to stop it, Aeris?" Cloud asked her.

"I don't know if it's possible, Cloud." Aeris admitted sadly to him.

"There's got to be a way for us to do it, Aeris." said Laina. "As long as we don't give up on looking for it."

Aeris lowered her head and lapsed into silence for a while then glance up at Laina and smiled at her. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Laina. Thank you."

Laina smiled and nodded to her before she looked away from Aeris to look into the fire.

"I wonder how many years it's been…" mumbled Cait Sith quietly to himself as he stared into the fire. "Gosh, it brings back memories…"

"Not that many years yet, Cait Sith." said Nina to Cait Sith and he scowled darkly at her while Carter let out a small chuckle.

"What an utterly boring place, just like I thought!" said Yuffie suddenly in a loud voice and with a fierce frown look on her face. "I wanna go somewhere else now! Let's go find some materia, guys!"

Everyone ignored her outburst and she pouted at them before slumping backward onto the ground, staring up at the still evening sky.

"Cosmo Canyon… This's where AVALANCHE was born…" Barret began saying to them. "I promised my guys someday… when we saved the Planet from the Shinra, that we'd all go to Cosmo Canyon and celebrate… Biggs… Wedge… Jessie… Now they're all gone… died for the Planet." Barret lapsed into silence as he slowly thought back to the events in Midgar. "…Really? To save the Planet?" Barret asked aloud to himself. "We all… we all hate the Shinra… Do I even got a reason to go on? Will they… will they ever forgive me?"

"Of course they don't blame you much for it, Barret." said Laina. "And you do have a reason to go on. Isn't Marlene the reason you go on?"

Barret glance at her and nodded at her words. "Hey, you're right, Laina! Marlene is the reason I can go on! Alright, I decided! If there's anything I can do, to save the Planet… or the people livin' on it, especially Marlene… Then I'm gonna do it! I don't care if it's for justice or revenge, or whatever. I don't care… let 'em decide for 'emselves."

Barret suddenly stood up from the spot he's sitting on and he began to raised and waved his arms around energetically, causing everyone to glance at him with amused and surprised looks on their faces. "Urrrrrgh! I'm gonna do it! Again… Again… AVALANCHE's reborn again!" said Barret in a loud voice as he stood for a few seconds before sitting back down. Then one by one, everyone look away from him, looking off into different directions as silence descended on the entire group.

"Cloud… Angie…" said Tifa to them both in a quiet voice and they turned their heads to glance at her.

"Yes, Tifa?" said Cloud.

"What is it, Tifa?" said Angelina.

"Bonfires are funny things, aren't they?" said Tifa. "They make you remember all sorts of things, both good and bad."

As both Cloud and Angelina continue staring at her, they soon noticed the sad expression on Tifa's face. The both of them have seen a few times before back in Gongaga village and the small town of Kalm.

"You know, Cloud, Angie. 5 years ago…" said Tifa in a nervous tone of voice as she glance up at them both and Laina suddenly let out a small cough and gave Tifa a "Don't-you-tell-them-both" look on her face, causing her to stop suddenly and she shook her head. "… It's nothing, Cloud, Angie. Forget it. I'm afraid to ask…"

"What is it, Tifa?" Cloud asked her but she didn't say anything more to him and Angelina. Both Cloud and Angelina then glared at Laina, who turned her head to the right to look away from them both. Both Cloud and Angelina then sighed and look back into the fire.

"…Long ago." said Red XIII suddenly to them, not looking away from the fire. "When I was still a small child. We were all around this flame…" Suddenly he shook his head. "No, never mind…"

"Why? What happened?" Kunsel asked him.

Red XIII sighed and decided to resumed telling them. "It's about my parents. When I talk about my mother, I am full of pride and joy… And that's fine with me. But when I remember my father, my heart is full of anger and disappointment…"

"…You really can't forgive your father, Nanaki…?" said Bugenhagen's voice suddenly from behind Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter and Cloud, Red XIII and the others all raised and turned their heads to see Bugenhagen coming/floating toward them (Barret, Tifa, Kunsel, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and Selwyn were surprised to see Bugenhagen floating a few inches off the ground).

"Of course, grandfather." replied Red XIII stubbornly. "He… left mother behind for dead. When the Gi tribe attacked, he ran off by himself, leaving mother and the people of Cosmo Canyon behind!"

Bugenhagen lowered his head and sighed lightly, then he came to a decision and looked up at Red XIII. "…Come, Nanaki. There's something you need to see."

"…?" said Red XIII as he glance at Bugenhagen, surprised.

"The place may be dangerous." said Bugenhagen to Cloud and his friends/companions. "Cloud, will you and two other persons come with us?"

Cloud stood up and looked around at the others and decided to bring Angelina and Kunsel with him. Both Angelina and Kunsel nodded and stood up before the three of them turned and walked away from the others and the bonfire, following behind both Bugenhagen and Red XIII as they went up the rocky stairs, went into the inner canyon and all 5 of them stop in front of a huge, sealed up metallic door against the rocky wall under Bugenhagen's house.

"Ho Ho Hooooo." said Bugenhagen. "Are we all set?"

Cloud look over his shoulders at both Angelina and Kunsel standing near him, saw them nodded to him and he turn to glance back at Bugenhagen and nodded to him.

"Ho Ho Hooooo. Shall we go then?" replied Bugenhagen before he turned away from them, raised his right hand and pressed a huge, red button next to the metallic door and the door opened.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: Battle against the Gi Tribe and knowing the truth about Red XIII/Nanaki father**

After Bugenhagen pressed the huge, red button next to the metallic door and the door opened up in front of them, Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel and Red XIII stared into the opened door and they saw a tunnel inside, shrouded almost completely in darkness. They were unable to see more than a few metres in or what lay beyond it. Bugenhagen lowered his right arm away from the button, turned around to glance at Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel and Red XIII and motioned for them to come closer.

"All right. Come in, come in." said Bugenhagen.

"Hey. Aren't you coming with us, grandfather?" said Red XIII as he looked away from the shadowy tunnel at Bugenhagen.

"What are you crazy?" said Bugenhagen to Red XIII in surprised while shaking his head. "It's dangerous in there. I told you that! You want an old man like me going in there first? I'll be right behind you all."

Red XIII glance away from him back into the dark tunnel inside the opened door, swallowed hard and he step through the opened door into the dark tunnel, Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel followed closely behind him and Bugenhagen followed/floated closely behind them all, stopped for a second to turned around and close the door behind him (which plunged the tunnel into total darkness but thanks to the bright glow of the two fire torches which both Cloud and Kunsel brought with them, they could see a little ahead of them) then turned back and resumed following/floating behind them.

Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel, Red XIII stay close together as they walked down the dark tunnel, with both Cloud and Kunsel holding the torches up to show some light in front of them as they walked ahead until they stopped in their tracks in front of a large, naturally carved circular hole on the ground with a short wooden pole hammered hard onto the edge of the hole with a thick rope tied on the short wooden pole which leads down into the hole.

"Is this the way down?" Kunsel asked Bugenhagen as he stared down the large, circular hole.

"Yes, it is." replied Bugenhagen with a nod of his head.

After Bugenhagen confirm/tell them that the hole is the only way down, Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel then began climbing down into the hole while holding the thick rope tightly in their hands one by one, which is quite hard for the three of them since two of them needed to hold the torch in one hand to see where they're going while holding the rope with the other hand and as they look down, they could see several rocky ledges below them in the deep hole with some ropes and ladders attached at the edges of the rocky ledges. As for both Red XIII and Bugenhagen, they managed to jumped/floated down and landed easily and safely on the rocky ledge.

They continue climbing, jumping and floating down the rocky ledges, felt the air around them slowly getting colder and thicker with a deeper sense of unease and apprehension as they headed down until they finally reached the bottom, landed on the ground, turned and went through an open hole in the side of the rocky wall into the next area of the cavern.

Once they're in the next area, they saw that the place is a small maze of jagged rocky walls with broken holes on the walls and with dozens of sharp stalamites on the ceiling of the cavern. They also noticed some old skeletons with old and shredded clothes on them as they lie scattered everywhere on the rocky ground of the cavern along with some pale, ghostly figures smiling evilly at them through the walls, making both Cloud and Kunsel to scowled at them, Angelina flinched a little from their evil smiles, Red XIII bared his fangs and snarled at them while Bugenhagen himself ignore them. Bugenhagen then floated past Cloud and the others and began to guide/lead the way in front of them now, knowing which way to go despite it still being so dark until he stop near a dark shadowy hole, raised his left hand to halted Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel and Red XIII in their tracks before he floated into the hole, found an old and dusty switch inside, pressed it down and they soon heard a loud grating sound which echoes throughout the rocky maze and suddenly, a large hole opened up in front of them.

"Ho Ho Hooooo." chuckled Bugenhagen as he came out from the hole, floated toward the open large hole in front of them then turned to stared at them. "Every skeletons and ghosts here are members of the Gi tribe. Killed in a certain, fierce battle."

"A certain, fierce battle…?" asked Red XIII, confused.

"The vengeful spirits of the Gi tribe didn't disappear, and they couldn't return to the Lifestream…" Bugenhagen told them. "We still have far to go. Ho Ho Hooooo." Bugenhagen ceased talking, turned around and went boldly through the large, open hole, forcing the others to follow after him, all of them wondering about what Bugenhagen's up to.

"Weird old man…" Kunsel muttered in a small voice behind the others.

The next area after they went through the large, open hole was almost similar to the previous one, with many rocky paths heading into different and deeper parts of the cavern. Some parts of the rocky paths had some kind of slippery, oily substances, treasure chests and materia on them while below the rocky paths, Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel and Red XIII looked down and they could see a huge pool of red-coloured water with ripples forming and disappearing on its surface. By now, the 4 of them were very glad and grateful for Bugenhagen's helpful guidance as he continue guiding them down and across the right rocky path (while along the way, they fought against some Heg snake monsters and Sneaky step skeleton monsters and they managed to obtain some treasure and materia lying around on the cavern floor like Added Effect materia, Gravity materia, Black M-Phone, Ether, X-potion, Turbo Ether and Fairy Ring) until Bugenhagen stopped in front of another large, cave hole on the far, left corner in the cavern which lead into another deeper area and he turned around to glance at Cloud and the others.

"As you all can see, this cave hole behind me leads to the back of Cosmo Canyon." Bugenhagen told them. "It was unfortunate that the Gi tribe were bigger than us. If they attacked through here, we wouldn't have stood a chance."

"…" said Red XIII in thoughtful silence.

"Let's move on." said Bugenhagen to Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel and Red XIII before he turned around and headed through the cave hole. Cloud and the others resumed following after him, all three of them had the same thoughts in their minds that they were getting close to the truth now.

The next cavern area which they all went into is the same but slightly different than the previous cavern they had just left, its rocky paths spread off into 4 different tunnels with huge spider webs sticking on the cave holes of the tunnels entrance, blocking each of the entrances. As they approach the tunnels entrance with the webs on them, they were suddenly ambushed by several huge Stinger spider monsters and Gi spector monsters which appeared and dropped down onto them from the cavern ceiling. One of the Stinger spider monster pinned Angelina down onto the ground and just as its about to closed its jaws on Angelina's head, Cloud quickly killed off the Stinger spider monster he's facing with his "Climhazzard" limit break before he charge toward the one pinning Angelina and casted Fira on it several times until it move away from her and Cloud and burned to death.

"Thanks, Cloud." said Angelina, giving him a grateful smile.

"No problem, Angie." replied Cloud as he hold out his hand to help her up before the both of them charge toward where Kunsel and Red XIII were fighting the Stinger spider monsters and Gi spector monsters (and protecting Bugenhagen at the same time) and helped them finished off the monsters.

After Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel and Red XIII defeated/killed off the monsters which ambushed them, Bugenhagen thanked them for it before he continue guiding them through one of the tunnel entrance and they followed after him, walking down the rocky path until Bugenhagen came yet again to a stop before another cavern hole entrance, halted them and turned around to glance at them.

"This warrior went through the cave all by himself." said Bugenhagen. "Fighting the attackers of Gi tribe one by one…"

"Grandfather…" said Red XIII, slowly about to realise who the warrior Bugenhagen says to them might be. "Could that warrior be…"

"Ho Ho Hooooo. We're almost there." said Bugenhagen with a faint smile on his face as he cuts off Red XIII words before he turned around and went through the cave hole entrance, Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel and Red XIII resumed following behind him through the cave hole entrance and into what they presumed to be the final cavern.

The last cavern which they are now in is much larger than they thought, with many stalagmites and stalactites hanging above them on the cavern ceiling and poking up from the ground and on both sides of the rocky path which they are standing on has the same huge pools of red-coloured water they saw back in one of the previous caverns, only that this huge pools of red-coloured water is creating giant puffs of steaming foul air, filling the entire cavern with its foul smell. As Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel, Red XIII and Bugenhagen covered their mouths and noses from the foul smells of the water, they all looked up at the very head of the cavern and saw a huge rock carving, built in the shape of an evil-looking battle face/mask.

"What is this…?" said Bugenhagen as he stared at the huge rock carving, feeling/sensing a huge aura of anger/hatred/evil coming from the huge rock carving.

"Grandfather, is he…!?" said Red XIII from behind Bugenhagen as he also senses the huge aura of anger/hatred/evil coming from it.

"After death…The ghosts of the Gi tribe… Like stagnant air… This… can't be!" said Bugenhagen, in shocked then fear.

"What are you…" Kunsel began saying to both Bugenhagen and Red XIII and abruptly stop talking when he, Cloud, Angelina, Red XIII and Bugenhagen saw the huge rock carving suddenly came to live and morphed into one huge, tall and strong-looking skeletal ghost (named Gi Nattak) wearing a huge green and red-coloured armour on its floating upper skeletal body, holding a huge and menacing-looking red-coloured javelin weapon with some blue cloths tie on the javelin in its right hand and with two smaller floating fire ghosts (named Soul Fires) in front of it.

Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel immediately pull their swords and naginata out from their backs and raised it in front of them in preparation for battle and told Bugenhagen to stay back while Red XIII himself snarled fiercely at the three Gi tribe ghosts, remembering the fateful day when they came and attacked Cosmo Canyon, killing off some of the Cosmo Canyon people and his mother, who fought bravely to protect the canyon from them. Unable to contain his anger toward the three Gi ghosts in front of him anymore, Red XIII charge forward toward Gi Nattak, crouch down then jumped high up above Gi Nattak's head, landed on Gi Nattak's head and he began to bite and clawed Gi Nattak's head fiercely with his jaws and claws.

"Red XIII!" yelled Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel as they began to charge toward Gi Nattak, intend to help Red XIII out in fighting it but they got intercepted by the two Soul Fires near Gi Nattak and they fought against the Soul Fires instead.

Gi Nattak let out a ghostly yell before it raised its hand to grabbed hold of Red XIII and flung him away from its injured head. Kunsel saw it and he quickly run toward Red XIII and grabbed hold of him before he crashed against the cavern wall and fell into the foul red water below.

"Nice catch, Kunsel!" yelled Angelina at Kunsel when she saw Kunsel grabbed hold of Red XIII before he crashed against the cavern wall and Red XIII thanked Kunsel for it before they both charge toward Gi Nattak and fight it out of the corner of her eyes. The Soul Fire she's currently fighting took advantage of her split second distraction and sank itself into her body, causing her to widen her eyes before she let out a scream. She then stop her screaming, raised her naginata, charge toward Cloud who's fighting the other Soul Fire and she began attacking him, causing him to ceased fighting the Soul Fire in front of him, turned and fought against her instead.

"Angie! What are you doing!?" demanded Cloud in a shocked tone of voice.

"…" said Angelina, in silence as she swung her naginata at Cloud's head, causing him to duck down then dodged away from her second downward strike on him.

"She's being possessed by one of the Soul Fires!" Bugenhagen told Cloud in a loud and fearful voice. "You have to get it out of her quick or else it will keep on using her to fight you until you're dead then it will burn her from the inside out!"

"Say what!?" said Cloud as he stared at Bugenhagen before he dodged away from Angelina using "Vile Strike" limit break on him. "Forgive me for this, Angie." said Cloud as he stared at Angelina with an apologetic look on his face before he charge toward Angelina, raised and blocked against her naginata strike on him with his Buster sword, deflected it away from him before he clench his left hand into a tight fist and punched twice on her solar plexus hard. Angelina gasped in pain from his duo punches, dropped her naginata and she fell unconscious into Cloud's arms, at the same time the Soul Fire came out from her body and Cloud swiftly casted Blizzara on it several times in annoyed anger until it let out a screech of pain then it disappear into nothingness. Cloud then carry Angelina's unconscious body over to Bugenhagen, put her down on the ground and telling Bugenhagen to stay with her before he stood up, turned and charge toward the other Soul Fire and resumed fighting it.

After a while of Cloud, Kunsel and Red XIII fighting/using their Blizzara, Thundara and Shiva summon materia and using their "Climhazzard", "Sled Fang" and "Chain Strike" limit breaks on Gi Nattak and Soul Fire (who counter back at them), they managed to defeat both of the Gi tribe ghosts and watched as the two ghosts wail angrily in defeat before they disappeared from the cavern and from their sights, same goes for their aura of anger/hatred/evil and the huge stone carving, leaving the cavern with a calm feeling and revealing another cave hole which leads to the final area. Once the Gi tribe ghosts are gone, both Cloud and Kunsel put their swords back behind them and Red XIII let out a victory howl before Cloud turned and headed toward both Angelina and Bugenhagen and kneel down near her. Slowly she opened her violet eyes, glance over at Cloud's worry face and let out a pained groan.

"Are you alright, Angie?" Cloud asked her worriedly. "I'm sorry that I punch you twice just now but I had to try to get the ghost out from your body."

"It's fine… Cloud." said Angelina in a slightly weak/pained voice. "I know you had…to do it and I…don't blame…you much."

Cloud glance at her then smiled in relieved.

"Thank you, Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel. Because of the three of you, we managed to make it this far and survived." said Bugenhagen gratefully to Cloud, Angelina (who nodded as he slowly helped hold Angelina up with his left hand on her waist and her right arm over his shoulders) and Kunsel (who nodded to him) before he turned his head to glance at Red XIII. "And you too, Nanaki. You have grown strong."

"… Oh yeah, grandfather?" said Red XIII as he glance at Bugenhagen with a proud look on his face.

"Now I know that it wasn't a mistake in bringing you…" said Bugenhagen as he floated past them toward the cave hole. "Come, I have something I want to showed you. Right over here."

Bugenhagen went through the cave hole and Red XIII immediately followed after him, with Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel (who saw a Gravity materia lying on the rocky path and picked it up then put it into his pocket) followed closely behind them both. They walked on until they emerged out from the cavern, looked up and saw with surprised in their eyes that they're no longer within the cavern/canyon. Above them the sky had already turned into nighttime with dozens of bright stars and a large, white moon shining on the night sky, a cool, gentle night breeze blew at them from through the air and a large and tall rocky cliff in front of them.

"This is…" Red XIII began saying then finds himself unable to say it out as he stared up at the top of the rocky cliff and he felt his heart began to beat fast and his blood pulsing through his head and body.

"…The warrior who fought against the Gi tribe." said Bugenhagen to Red XIII who look over at him with a nod of his head. "He kept them from taking even one step into Cosmo Canyon. But he was never able to return back to the village… Look, Nanaki. Look at your father, at the brave warrior, Seto."

Red XIII look away from Bugenhagen back up to the top of the rocky cliff (Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel also looked up as well) and see the large, proud and firm-looking wolf/dog stone statue with many arrows piercing through his body and which turned him into a stone statue standing at the top of the rocky cliff, watching down over the canyon like a fierce/protective guardian and he recognized it instantly, for it looks so much like him, albeit an older version.

Both Cloud and Kunsel stared up at the stone statue in silence while Angelina felt sad/pity for Red XIII.

"…That's… That's… Seto…?" said Red XIII to Bugenhagen in surprised.

Bugenhagen nodded again to Red XIII before he stared up at the stone statue. "Seto continued to fight the Gi tribe here… To protect this canyon." Bugenhagen explain to Red XIII. "Even after the Gi tribe fired their poisonous arrows at him and the arrows turned his body to stone… Even after they all fled away… Seto continues to protect us. And he still continues to protect us, even now."

"Even now…" Red XIII repeated Bugenhagen's final two words in awed, cannot believe that the story he heard and what he saw in front of him turns out to be false.

"You thought that he was a coward and ran away. But he, alone risked his life to protect Cosmo Canyon. That is your father, Seto." said Bugenhagen.

"That… that is Seto?...!?" said Red XIII as he closed his eyes and shook his head for a few seconds before he opened his eyes and turned around to glance at Bugenhagen. "Did mother know?"

"Ho Ho Hooooo… she knew." replied Bugenhagen with a nod of his head. "The two of them made me promise to keep this cave shut. They asked me to seal it myself and not to tell a soul. They say we should forget about this cave."

Red XIII lowered his head to look down at the rocky ground, mumbling quietly under his breath and feeling stupid and ashamed of himself for assuming that his father, Seto was a coward who run away from Cosmo Canyon and leave his mother, Veanna and the canyon village people behind to fight against the Gi tribe for all these years. While Red XIII has lapsed into silence, Bugenhagen turned away from Red XIII and glance at Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel, who also turned to look at him.

"Cloud… would you and your 2 friends mind leaving the both of us alone?" asked Bugenhagen humbly to Cloud.

Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel looked over at Red XIII who's still looking down at the rocky ground in silence, lifted their heads away from Red XIII to glance up at Seto then lowered their heads to glance over at Bugenhagen and they nodded to him. All three of them turned around and went back into the cavern, leaving both Red XIII and Bugenhagen alone.

XXXX

Once Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel are gone, Bugenhagen turned to glance back at Red XIII. "Nanaki. I want you to continue your journey with Cloud and the others." Bugenhagen said to him in a stern/serious tone of voice.

"Grandfather!?" exclaimed Red XIII as he lifted his head to glance at Bugenhagen with a shocked look on his face.

"Listen, Nanaki." said Bugenhagen as he raised his left hand to cut Red XIII off before he could say anything then lowered his hand and turned away from him. "Cloud say to me that he and the others are trying to save the planet. To be honest, I don't think it can be done. For even if they do managed to stop every mako reactors on the planet, all it can do is postpone the inevitable. Even if they do stop Sephiroth, everything will still perish." Bugenhagen stop talking for a few seconds and turned back to glance at Red XIII. "But, Nanaki. I've been thinking lately. I've been thinking if there was anything WE could do, as a part of the planet, something to help a planet already in misery… No matter what happens, isn't it important to at least try? Am I just wishing against fate?" Here Bugenhagen shook his head a little. "I am too old to do anything about it… This year, I'll be 130. Ho Ho Hooooo. That is why, Nanaki, you must go with them! For my sake."

"Grandfather…" said Red XIII in a small voice.

"I wanted to show you your real father before you left…" Bugenhagen told Red XIII as he turned away from him again. "I'm so glad that you came back to Cosmo Canyon while I was still alive to show you."

"Grandfather… don't talk like that." said Red XIII as he shake his head rapidly and faint tears started to form/glisten in the corner of his good eye. "I don't want to think of life… without you…"

"Ho Ho Hooooo. Well, I've had a long, good life." said Bugenhagen.

"Grandfather! You must live!" said Red XIII in a loud, anxious then determined tone of voice as he glance at Bugenhagen. "I'll see to it. I'll continue my travel with Cloud and the others and I'll see to what's happening to the planet. And I'll come back to tell you about it."

"Nanaki…" said Bugenhagen as he turned around again to glance at Red XIII and saw as Red XIII suddenly jumped away from the rock he's standing on toward another rock about a metre away in front of Bugenhagen with a sudden fluidity in his muscles and a determined look in his eye.

"I am Nanaki of Cosmo Canyon!" said Red XIII to Bugenhagen in a voice filled with a kind of strength he had never shown before. "The son of Seto and Veanna, warriors of Cosmo Canyon! I'll come back a warrior true to my parents noble names! So please, grandfather…"

Bugenhagen continue to stared at Red XIII in silence, unable to believe that the young wolf/dog creature he's currently looking at was still the same one. The silence between them was broken by a sudden faint sound of something like droplets of water falling from somewhere above them and landed softly on the rocky ground. Both Bugenhagen and Red XIII turned around, saw some more of the droplets of clear-looking water falling down and landed on the rocks before they trickled down the side and they lifted their heads to look up and saw a sight which surprises them both.

"That's… Seto… Seto…" stammered Bugenhagen.

"Seto… Fa… Father…" stammered Red XIII in a shaking tone of voice as he saw more of the droplets of water fall from the edge of Seto's stone eyes, roll down and dropped from his stone face and landed on the rocky ground before Red XIII coiled his legs muscles to jumped up onto the top of the rocky cliff slightly below the one where the petrified (and currently shedding tears of joy and sadness) Seto is standing on, threw back his head and let out several loud, mournful howls into the night, which echoed fainted inside the canyon.

XXXX

After Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel make their way out of the cavern back into Bugenhagen's house, they then leave the house, went down the rocky stairs and through the inner canyon village until they rejoined with Laina, Tifa and the others waiting for them near the bonfire. Laina noticed that Angelina got injured and she quickly stood up, went over to Angelina while pulling out her Cura materia from her pocket to healed her. Once she's done healing her and she and the others heard from Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel about what happen to them while they were in the huge cavern with Bugenhagen, a frown look appear on her face (and on Tifa's face) for a short while before it faded away. After they heard their story and were relieved that they came back safely, all of them then stood up, turned around and walked away from the bonfire toward the inn inside the inner canyon to have their slumber before they leave Cosmo Canyon the next morning.

XXXX

The next day, all of them woke up feeling well-rest and a little energized before they left the inn, had some breakfast and drinks with the Cosmo Canyon villagers in one of the dining room inside the inner canyon, pay for their breakfast and drinks and they left the inner canyon, went down the stairs back toward the bonfire and they sat down in a circle around it.

"The mechanic who fixed the buggy last night told me that he's done fixing it." Angelina told Cloud and the others. "And he also told me that he had installed a wooden wagon behind the buggy so that some of us don't have to cramped ourselves into the buggy."

Cloud nodded to her before he stood up and glance around at all of them. "Shall we get going?" Cloud asked them.

All of them nodded up to him before they all stood up.

"So this is it, Red XIII…" said Aeris in a sad tone of voice.

"Don't be sad, Aeris." said Laina as she patted Aeris's shoulder. "It's not like we'll see the last of him. We'll see him when we came to Cosmo Canyon again next time."

Aeris glance over at Laina and slowly nodded.

"That's just the way it goes." said Barret. "…You came in handy at times…"

Cloud and his group then walked away from the bonfire toward the entrance of Cosmo Canyon. Just as they all went through the entrance, say their farewells to Charlie (who's still guarding the entrance) and was about to walked down the stairs, they all suddenly heard Red XIII voice yelling from behind them.

"Wait for me, everyone!" yelled Red XIII. "I'm coming with you all!"

Cloud and his group stopped in their tracks, turned around and saw with wide eyes as Red XIII came running down the rocky stairs of the inner canyon and came to a stop near them, his body breathing/panting slightly heavily from his downward run from the stairs and from behind him, they also saw Bugenhagen as he floated slowly down the stairs toward them.

"Cloud, everyone." said Bugenhagen as he glance at them. "Please look after Nanaki."

"What happened?" Cloud asked Bugenhagen, confused.

"I think I grew up a little." replied Red XIII in a happy and simple tone of voice. "That's what happened! Now let's go!"

Before anyone could say anything, Red XIII ran briskly past them down the stairs toward where the buggy car (with the Chocobo next to it) is. Cloud and his group then glance at Bugenhagen, who nodded to them before he turned around and floated away, back up the stairs. Cloud and his group then turned and went down the stairs toward the buggy car and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Barret, Kunsel and Red XIII went into it while Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and Selwyn went into the wooden wagon behind the buggy car. Both Laina and Aeris climbed up onto Celeste (after Laina untied Celeste reins from the buggy car right side window) and all of them left Cosmo Canyon toward their next destination.

.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36: Return to Nibelheim**

As Cloud drove the buggy car away from the boundaries of Cosmo Canyon and its cliffs/canyons and heading across another river and the green plains further north towards the distant dark mountains with his friends/companions near him, Cloud, Angelina and Tifa look ahead of them through the buggy's windshield and they immediately recognized the jagged-looking dark mountains which is slowly getting nearer. Same goes for Laina. The image of the jagged-looking dark mountains of which stood in the center of the continent very near to their hometown of Nibelheim was branded into each of Cloud, Angelina and Tifa's memories as a picture that will never fade.

Cloud drove the buggy car straight toward the small town of Nibelheim which stood at the silent entrance of , stopped the buggy car near the entrance and turned off the engine and everyone soon got off the buggy car and the wagon, with Laina stopping Celeste next to the buggy car, got off, turned and helped Aeris down from Celeste then she tie Celeste reins on the right side of the buggy can window again (not so tightly so that Celeste will go free later on).

" _I hoped that Cloud, Angelina and Tifa won't overreact too much when they saw how the town has been rebuilt back to the way it was by Shinra company after Sephiroth destroyed and burned it down."_ thought Laina sadly/worriedly to herself.

Unfortunately, her thought was proven wrong when she and the others left the buggy car and Celeste at the entrance of (since they couldn't bring the buggy car and the Chocobo into the town) to follow behind Cloud, Angelina and Tifa, whose minds and hearts were focused solely and beating in anxiety on their hometown which they're now approaching and as they finally arrived within the town of Nibelheim (and started to have strong, uneasy feelings inside them), expecting to see the blacken, ruined and decayed remnants of the town, they got the opposite of it instead. There were no burnt down houses and inn left to blacken, ruined and decayed by themselves, instead there were many intact/neatly built houses which is positioned exactly as Cloud, Angelina and Tifa remembered them. The entire resemblance was uncanny. Everything was as it use to be and completely untouched, from the tall wooden structure standing in the middle of the town, holding the huge water well at the top of it down to the town's houses and its street which is quite quiet/dusty and looked like a ghost town. Only that it's more of a ghost town because the place shouldn't have been standing intact.

"This is impossible!" exclaimed Angelina as she glance around the place in disbelief.

"What-!" exclaimed Tifa in disbelief as she too, glance around the place like Angelina did and almost choked when she saw the familiar sight of her two-storey house in between Cloud and Angelina's two-storey houses- or what had once been her and their houses 5 years ago. "This was all supposed to be burnt down, right?" Tifa asked both Cloud and Angelina as she turned to glance at them, wanting to confirm with them both.

Both Cloud and Angelina glance away from their houses to glance at her and nodded grimly and slowly. "… Yeah, Angie and I thought so." said Cloud.

"Then why…?" said Tifa. "Not just both you and Angie's houses but my house is still there too…"

Barret and the others who were with them were also surprised to see that the entire town was intact, unlike the story which both Cloud and Angelina told them all (except Cait Sith, Nina and Carter) a few days ago back in an inn in the town of Kalm about Sephiroth who had suddenly gone senile and destroyed the entire town. And yet here it was, completely intact. Both Barret and Red XIII then turned their heads to glance at both Cloud and Angelina with accusations in their eyes and faces.

"Didn't you two told us that Sephiroth burnt and destroyed the whole town?" said Barret accusingly at both Cloud and Angelina.

"Yes, we did! And it's true!" replied Angelina fiercely.

"But look around the place, you two." said Red XIII. "The entire town is intact. Have you two been lying to us to get our sympathies?"

"No! We're not lying to you all!" replied Cloud just as fiercely as Angelina while he shakes his head and remember the memories of his, Angelina and Tifa's burning hometown. "We remember… the intense, burning heat of the flames… the screaming of the people as they die or lose their homes and loved ones by Sephiroth's hands…"

"Both Cloud and Angelina are telling the truth, Barret, Red XIII." said Laina as she glance at Barret, Red XIII and the others. "They're not the only ones who had gone through the terrible ordeal which Sephiroth had done 5 years ago. Both Tifa and I were here with them and we experience the whole thing too."

Tifa glance at Laina then at Barret and the others and slowly nodded. But still Barret and the others were unconvinced by Laina's words and Tifa's nod and they all glance briefly at each other then at both Cloud and Angelina again, unsure of what to think.

"Look, why don't we ask around the town." suggested Kunsel. "Maybe the people who live here can tell us something about the town."

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and the others all nodded in agreement at Kunsel's suggestion and they all split up and head off toward different houses to ask some questions and find out the truth of the town. Both Cloud and Angelina head toward the inn, Tifa went toward her house with Barret and Aeris following behind her, both Laina and Kunsel decided to walk up the stairs to head toward the old Shinra mansion while the others went toward the other houses in the town.

XXXX

Once Cloud and Angelina walked through the inn's entrance into the inn, they looked around and saw that every detail of the interior of the inn was exactly as they both remember in their memories. They dismissed the memories away and approach the young innkeeper who's standing behind the desk and is now staring at them with an earnest look on his face.

"Hi, welcome." the innkeeper greeted them in a cheerful voice. "Would you two want to stay in this inn?"

"No, we don't." said Angelina. "We have some questions that we wanted to ask you."

"Oh? Some questions you wanted to ask me?" said the innkeeper. "What is it?"

"What's your story?" Cloud asked the innkeeper with a faint hostility in his voice. "This town was supposed to have been burnt down 5 years ago. Why is the town back to the way it was before it got burnt down? What the hell is going on?"

The cheerful smile on the innkeeper's face immediately disappeared when he heard Cloud's questions and he turned to look away from both Cloud and Angelina for a few seconds then turned back to look at them. "Sir, don't say such awful things." said the innkeeper. "I was born and raised here in this town. What you just say never happened."

"I don't believe you. You're lying to us." said Angelina sternly at the innkeeper, annoyed at him for daring to pose as a resident of Nibelheim when both her and Cloud knew that he wasn't one.

"EXCUSE ME, girl…" said the innkeeper as he narrowed his eyes at Angelina. "That's quite rude of you for saying that… If you're going to continue talking that rudely to me, I'm going to have to ask you and your friend to leave."

The innkeeper then ceased his talking and turned to look away from them again, refused to look at them both. Angelina glared angrily at the innkeeper and was about to say more to him when both she and Cloud heard a small banging sound coming from a wooden door leading into a storeroom next to the innkeeper. Both Cloud and Angelina then turned to their left and walked toward the storeroom next to the innkeeper (who's still not looking at them), opened the wooden door to peered inside and their eyes widened a little at what they both saw.

Inside the storeroom stood a strange and lone man (or what both Cloud and Angelina presumed to be a man) near a pile of wooden crates, who's wearing a long black cape around him which heavily covered his features and body, rendering both Cloud and Angelina unable to see what he looks like and making him a kind of shadow hiding away in a corner. The strange man's body was trembling slightly and he's murmuring some words softly under his breath. Both Cloud and Angelina opened the wooden door widen, went into the storeroom and slowly approach the strange man, who's bend over like he's crippled and they noticed that he's clutching the ends of his black cape close to his body, as though trying to keep his body warm.

Some kind of instinct inside Cloud urged him to examined the strange man further and his left hand slowly reached out toward the strange man black right sleeve and he pulled it up so both he and Angelina could see the man's right upper arm while the strange man continue his inaudible murmuring. His right arm is very pale and on it there's a simple black number 6 tattoo branded onto it.

"Cloud, did you see what I see?" asked Angelina.

"Yeah, Angie. I did." replied Cloud. "He has a tattoo number 6. Hmmm, he has something…" Cloud's hand let go of the man's sleeve, reached into the man's right pocket and he pull out an item named "Luck Source" from it. After Cloud put the item into his own pocket, they suddenly heard the strange man's voice got a little louder and they were able to hear some of the words he's murmuring about.

"Urrr…rrrrrr…rrrrgh…" mumbled the strange man. "must…go…to…Re…uni…on…"

" _Must go to Reunion?"_ thought Angelina to herself in confusion. " _What is this strange guy talking about?"_

The strange man's voice then went quiet again and he went back to his almost silent mumbling. Both Cloud and Angelina then turned and leave the black cape, strange man to his mumbling alone inside the storeroom, closed the wooden door behind them, leave the inn and its innkeeper and they saw Tifa, Barret and the others waiting near the tall wooden structure for them both (except for both Laina and Kunsel). Once Tifa, Barret and the others saw them both coming out of the inn and joined up with them, they immediately told both Cloud and Angelina about what each of them saw and heard inside each the various houses.

"So, all of you are saying that you all saw at least 1 or 2 of the black cape guys inside the houses, mumbling barely coherent words like "Reunion" and "Sephiroth" and had black-coloured number tattoos branded on their arms?" said Angelina with a frown look on her face while Cloud narrowed his eyes when he heard the word "Sephiroth".

"Yes, that's right, Angie." replied Tifa.

"What is really going on here?" asked Aeris worriedly. "Everyone in this town is acting strange!"

"Not only that, it's like they don't care about these black cape guys who's mumbling barely coherent words to themselves inside each of the houses." said Selwyn, crossing his arms.

"Something is very wrong here." said Yuffie, agreeing with both Aeris and Selwyn. "This town and its people has gone cuckoo or something, can't we just leave and move on already?"

"No, we can't leave yet, Yuffie." said Cloud with a shake of his head and Yuffie groaned. "Not until we know what's actually going on in this town. None of this is right, this town and its people should not be here."

"I don't think that the sane people who live here now will tell us anything." said Red XIII as he glance at Cloud. "It's clear on their faces that they do know something but doesn't want to tell us about it."

"Hey, where's Laina and Kunsel, everyone?" asked Angelina as she glance at the others.

"Beats me." said Barret, shrugging his shoulders.

"They must still be at the Shinra mansion." said Tifa. "Why don't we all go over there now?"

Cloud, Angelina and the others nodded at Tifa's suggestion and they turned and walked away from the tall wooden structure, past the item shop next to the inn, up the stairs and toward the Shinra mansion where Laina and Kunsel were.

XXXX

While Cloud and the others were busy checking the town out and asking the people about why the town is still intact after it got burned down, both Laina and Kunsel went up the stairs, walk down the dirt path to approach the iron gate of the Shinra mansion (here Laina remember as the place where Zack propose marriage to her which she agree to which make him very happy and then they had their first kiss… and also where Sephiroth found out the terrible secret about himself in the underground laboratory under the Shinra mansion and gone off the deep end). As both Laina and Kunsel approach and stopped near the iron gate of the Shinra mansion, they noticed two, black cape men who's also standing near the gate just like them, facing the mansion within through the gate and wailing mournfully in their high-pitched voices (and for some reason, Laina felt like there's something or someone calling for her within the mansion).

"Wooooo…ooow… He's…calling… Sephiroth… is…calling…" wailed the first black cape man in a twisted and uncontrolled voice.

"The… Great… Sephiroth…is… near…" wailed the second black cape man. "Inside…inside…the mansion…Urrrrrrrrgh…the great…Sephiroth…"

Both Laina and Kunsel gasped when they heard what the two black cape men just said and they exchange glances with each other. Soon after the both of them were joined up by Cloud and the others who's done in checking out the town and it's people, told them both about what they all heard and found out from the other black cape men who were scattered around the town inside the houses. Laina and Kunsel then told Cloud and the others what they both heard from the two black cape men said near them next to the gate after Cloud and the others done telling them both what they heard and Cloud, Angelina and Tifa exchange glance with each other before the 3 of them quickly open the gate and ran through it toward the mansion, away from the others. Laina, Kunsel and the others turned and wasted no time in following after the 3 of them toward the mansion as well.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: Battle against Lost Number and meeting Vincent Valentine**

Cloud, Angelina and Tifa forcefully pushed open the old wooden doors of the Shinra mansion with their hands, causing the doors to flew inward and crashed against the inside wall of the mansion. The sound of the crash echoed throughout the main foyer room, which was exactly as it was 5 years ago other than the increase of the amount of dust in the air and on the floor.

As Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and the others behind them step through the now opened door into the main foyer room, they saw that the main foyer room with its three wooden doors to their left, right and in front of them which leads into three different rooms was still as dark/foreboding as ever, reminding Cloud, Angelina and Laina of the first time (and second time, in Laina's case) they stepped into the mansion. The three huge yellowish windows with its broken curtains on it on the second floor were still partially drawn over the windows but not for long since the curtains look like they would fell apart completely and letting the sunlight outside shine freely into the interior of Shinra mansion.

Once Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and the others were all inside the old mansion and both Barret and Selwyn turned and closed the old wooden doors behind them, leaving the main foyer room in almost darkness other than the beam of sunlight that shine in through the partially covered windows. After both Barret and Selwyn closed the doors, Cloud and the others then walked forward to the center of the main foyer room and look around the large room and its three closed wooden doors. They don't see any sign of Sephiroth but they knew that he's somewhere within the old mansion, especially Cloud, Angelina and Laina since the 3 of them felt his presence slightly more strongly after they're inside the mansion. Cloud then suggest to the others that they should split up and check each of the rooms within the mansion and they all agreed with his suggestion and split up. Barret and Red XIII went to check the room to their right, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter went to check the room to their left, Tifa, Yuffie and Selwyn went to check the room in front of them under the second floor and Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Aeris and Kunsel went up the stairs to the second floor and split up. Both Aeris and Kunsel turned and went to the second-floor room to their right while Cloud, Angelina and Laina turned and went to the second-floor room to their left.

Cloud, Angelina and Laina opened the door, went into the room and they saw that the room was quite dusty with three old single beds (with two small wooden tables in between the three single beds) to their left against the wall and some yellowish windows, a medium-sized cabinet to their right and a huge metallic safe in front of them next to a desk with some books and a single piece of old and yellowish paper on it. Cloud, Angelina and Laina approach the desk and Laina picked the paper up to read it, with both Cloud and Angelina looking and reading the paper together with her.

 _ **I must get rid of all those that dares to try to stand in the way of me and my precious research. Even that meddlesome one from the Turks. I scientifically altered him and put him into a deep sleep here in the basement. If any of you wanted to find him, then you have to search the place thoroughly.**_

 _ **However, this is merely a "spur-of-the-moment" kind of game I thought up for you. It is not necessary for you to participate if you don't want to.**_

 _ **Move the dial of the safe in one of the rooms within the mansion above carefully, but quickly. You have only 20 seconds. You cannot go past the numbers while turning it. The 4 hints for the numbers are…**_

 _ **Dial 1- The lid of the box with the most oxygen.**_

 _ **Dial 2- Behind the ivory's short of tea and tray**_

 _ **Dial 3- The creak in the floor near the chair on the second floor…then to the left five steps, up nine steps, left two steps and up six steps.**_

 _ **As for the fourth and last hint, I've written it down with a pen using invisible ink. Dial 4-Right 97.**_

 _ **The correct numbers is Right 36, Left 10, Right 59 and Right 97.**_

After Cloud, Angelina and Laina had finished reading the contents of the yellowish paper, Laina put the paper down on the desk and turned to glance at both Cloud and Angelina. "Cloud, Angelina. I know that we're after Sephiroth and that he's somewhere here within this mansion but we have to help whoever it is that's trapped in this mansion too."

"Why should we, Laina?" said Cloud in an unimpressed tone of voice. "We don't even know whoever this guy is."

"I know that!" Laina snapped at him. "But even so, I just don't like the idea of knowing that some Turk guy is trapped here and might be needing our help to get free. So I wanted to help him to get free."

"I agreed with her, Cloud." said Angelina as she glance at Cloud. "We should help him, whoever he is."

"Fine then." said Cloud as he sighed heavily and shook his head. He then take another look at the yellowish paper on the desk to memorize the 4 numbers before he got down on one knee in front of the safe and prepared to input the 4 numbers into the safe, with both Angelina and Laina watching warily from behind him.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Angie, Laina…" Cloud said aloud to himself and to Angelina and Laina standing behind him as he touched the safe. He could felt some kind of strong hidden power of pure rage/strength emanating from within the walls of the safe which kept it tight and secure. He glance over his shoulder at the both of them, saw that they had their hands holding the handle of their weapons behind them at the ready for anything that emerged from the safe and nodded to Cloud, who nodded back to them before he looked back at the safe and began inputting the numbers into the safe. After Cloud input the numbers into the safe (while within the 20 seconds limit), a loud click soon sounded from the safe after its unlocked and soon the door of the safe burst open outward on its own and Cloud, Angelina and Laina quickly back away from the now opened safe and the huge monster as it came out from the safe with a loud, screeching roar.

The monster (named Lost Number) which emerged from the safe look like a very misshapen creature which is probably forged from a combination of different levels of mako energy. Its huge body was composed of two different parts, split completely in half from its two original bodies and forcefully joined together by squishy flesh. The left-side of its body was quite a physical, muscular and firm purplish-green coloured body made up of a large rock-sized head and a fierce yellow left eye. Its left arm and leg were as physically firm and muscular as its left half body and its left hand had sharp, black claws on it which made it an arsenal of physical destruction. The right-side of its body was the opposite of its left-side body, it was bright, fiery red in colour with many long furry tentacles like heavy eyebrows which covered up most of its right-side face and yellow right eye while both its right arm and leg were also tentacles, its right arm waving around in the air in search of prey, making it an arsenal of magical force. Yet despite the difference of its misshapen body, Lost Number had one long, menacing smile on its face, filled with razor-sharp teeths.

Cloud, Angelina and Laina wasted no time in pulling their swords and naginata from their backs and they begin their fight against Lost Number together. As Cloud, Angelina and Laina raised their swords and naginata to continuously slashes, stabs at its right-side body and casted Fira, Blizzara and Thundara continuously at its left-side body, causing it to roar out in anger/pain at the three of them before it retaliate by casting Thundara and Gravira on them several times while it swings its right arm at both Cloud and Angelina (who quickly dodged away from its right arm), raised and swung its left arm down on Laina (who deflected its left arm away from her with her "Telekinesis") several times as well. After the three of them dodged away from Lost Number swinging and punching arms, they decided to finish it off by using their "Climhazzard", "Vile Strike" and "Exodus Blades" limit breaks on it.

After they use their limit breaks on it, Cloud, Angelina and Laina then watched as Lost Number moaned in pain before it fell backward onto the floor, its body shudder/convulsed/bleeds heavily for a while due to the multiple injuries Cloud, Angelina and Laina had done to it before Lost Number's body finally went still and it slowly dispersed apart and disappear into thin air, leaving the room in silence once again. After the monster is gone, Cloud, Angelina and Laina put their weapons back behind them before Cloud got down on one knee in front of the now open safe, look inside the safe and saw three items lying inside it. One was an old key while the other two was another red-coloured summon materia (Odin materia) and "Cosmo Memory" limit break (one of Red XIII limit break). Cloud take the key, the Odin summon materia and the limit break out from the safe and closed the safe door, put them in his pocket, stood up and turned to glance at both Angelina and Laina.

"I got the items inside the safe, Angie, Laina." Cloud told them both. "Let's go."

Both Angelina and Laina nodded to him and they turned and went toward the open door, but before they could leave the room, they heard the sounds of multiple footsteps coming their way and they soon saw that it's Barret, Tifa and the others.

"Alright, what just happened here?" demanded Barret as he glance at Cloud, Angelina and Laina.

"We went into this room and we saw and read an old paper lying on the desk about some sick scientist guy who decided to experiment/altered some Turk guy and left him here to fall into a deep sleep." Angelina explained to Barret, Tifa and the others. "So Laina told us that she wanted to free him from it and the only way we can do that is by opening the safe in this room. But after we open it, a huge monster came out from the safe and we quickly defeated/killed it to get the items inside the safe."

"Seriously?" said Selwyn.

"Yeah, that's about it." said Laina. "And what about you guys? What took you guys so long to come up here while we were fighting the monster?"

"Well, as we all split up to check the rooms for any signs of Sephiroth, we got attacked by some Dorky Faces, Ghirofelgos, Mirages and Jerseys monsters." Kunsel told Laina. "We then fight and defeated them and that's the reason why we got delayed, Laina."

"Oh, I see."

Cloud and his friends/companions then ceased their talking before they quickly left the second-floor left room and walk across the hall toward the other room to their right, where Cloud, Angelina and Laina remember that there's a secret shaft stone wall opposite the bookshelves inside the room which will lead them down to the underground basement (and Laina remember it as the place where both she and Zack found Sephiroth 5, 6 years ago). Both Cloud and Angelina opened the secret shaft stone wall, went in and walked down the dark spiral staircase with the others followed closely behind them (some of them had to leaned their hands against the wall to steady their walking) until they reached the bottom of the spiral staircase and looked around the area (which is much more chilly, moldy and dusty than 2 years ago and causing almost all of them to covered their noses in disgust).

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others soon caught sight of a ladder latched against the rocky wall to their left, went toward it and they began to climbed down the ladder one by one. They climbed off the ladder after they reached the bottom of it which turns out to be a long and old tunnel leading straight on toward two wooden doors within. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others then headed down the tunnel toward the two wooden doors and Cloud halted in his tracks (with the others halted in their tracks behind him) near the smaller, wooden door to his left, turned to it and he pull out the old key from his pocket, slid the key into the keyhole on the door and unlocked it.

After Cloud unlocked the door, he slowly pushed it open and went into the room with Angelina, Laina and Kunsel following behind him while Barret, Tifa and the others choose to wait for the 4 of them outside the room. Once they're in the room and looked around the place, they saw that there were multiple dusty and partially open empty coffins lying scattered around the room while the only, dark purplish-coloured coffin lying on the ground in the middle of the room was closed and they could hear faint, snoring sound coming from inside it. Cloud then approach the closed coffin and just as he's about to grasp the lid of the coffin to open it, he, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel soon heard the snoring sounds inside the coffin stopped and a deep, somewhat emotionless man's voice spoke out to them through the coffin.

"…To wake me from the nightmare… Who is it!?" said the deep man's voice which sounded angry now before the lid of the coffin shook violently then burst open, flew upward and landed down on the ground next to the now opened coffin with a thud, causing Cloud to quickly back away from the now opened coffin and Angelina, Laina and Kunsel to jumped a little. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel looked at the opened coffin and saw a man lying inside it. Slowly the man began to sit upright and glance at both Cloud and Angelina, who's standing in front of him while both Laina and Kunsel stands behind them both with Laina standing behind Kunsel and looking at the man over his left shoulder.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel saw that the man sitting in the coffin look to be in his late twenties, had long, waist-length black hair down his back, dark crimson-coloured eyes on his pale-looking and handsome face, a red bandanna tied over his head with some strands of his black hair sticking out of it and he's wearing a kind of black-coloured tunic with some straps/buckles on it over his body which is mostly covered up by a long red tattered-looking cape with a large collar on it which covered the lower half of his face and which flowed around his shoulders and down his back. On his feet he's wearing a long black trousers with a holster strapped around his waist with a powerful-looking gun inside it and with a pair of knee-length and pointed sabaton shoes on it. And on his left arm they could see that it's a kind of golden-coloured gauntlet with long, sharp claw-like fingers on it, unlike his right arm, which is normal and human-looking.

"…Never seen you before." the man said to them still with the same deep and emotionless tone of voice. "You must leave now."

"You were having a nightmare." Cloud pointed out to the man and the man slowly turned his head to glance at him.

"You'll dream about bad things if you sleep in a place like THIS." said Kunsel to the man and the man glance away from Cloud to him now.

"Hmph… a nightmare…?" said the man in a low and quiet tone of voice now. "My long slumber here in this room has given me time to atone."

"Time to atone?" said Angelina, confused.

"What are you saying?" said Cloud, confused as well.

The man sitting in the coffin sighed, feeling a little annoyed at both Cloud and Angelina split second lack of common sense. "I have nothing to say to strangers like you. Leave now." the man told them. "This mansion is the beginning of your nightmare."

Cloud, Angelina and Laina all lowered their heads and sighed deeply.

" _You got that right."_ thought Laina sadly to herself.

"…You can say that again." mumbled Cloud in a small voice.

"Hmmm? What do you know?" the man asked Cloud.

Cloud lifted his head to glance at the man and decided to tell him. "Like you just said to us, this mansion is the beginning of a nightmare." Cloud stops for a second and shook his head. "No, it's not a dream. It's real. Sephiroth has lost his mind. He found out about the secrets hidden by some professor in this mansion…"

"Sephiroth!?" said the man in a slightly loud voice suddenly, cutting off Cloud's words and causing Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel to jumped again.

"You know Sephiroth?" Cloud, Angelina and the man asked the same question at the exact same time as they glance at each other. Cloud, Angelina and the man then lapsed into silence before the man suddenly stood up and back flip out of the coffin until his feet landed on the edge of the coffin daintily and steadily.

"You and the girl standing next to you start first." The man said to Cloud, making it sound almost like an order. Both Cloud and Angelina exchange glances with each other and then they began to explain/tell the man every details of what they know about Sephiroth while both Laina and Kunsel watched in silence, beginning from 5, 6 years ago when they began their mission to investigate the mako reactor here in Nibelheim with Sephiroth, Laina and some infantrymens up until Sephiroth reappearance inside Shinra company, how he killed off President Shinra and half of Shinra company employees, infantrymens and minor soldiers in cold blood, took Jenova's headless body with him and of their pursuits of him away from Midgar across the vast green plains, rivers and several towns/villages until they arrived here in Nibelheim. While both Cloud and Angelina explain to the man, they (and both Laina and Kunsel) noticed that his face change from interest to anger before slowly change into a sad and pained look.

"…That's how it was." Cloud said to the man after both he and Angelina finished explaining/telling him their story and they took a deep breath of air, relieved that they're done explaining/telling him.

"So Sephiroth knows that he was created 5, 6 years ago?" said the man, deeply lost in his own thoughts. "And about the Jenova Project?… He was missing, but had just recently reappeared, taken many lives away and is seeking the Promised Land."

"That's right." said Angelina with a nod of her head.

"Now it's your turn." Cloud told him.

"Sorry… I cannot speak." said the man as he shook his head at Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel, which surprised then angered them.

"Oh, come on!" said Kunsel, annoyed at the man.

"That's dirty!" yelled Aeris voice through the opened door behind them.

The man ignored both Kunsel and Aeris angry words at him as he jumped down into the coffin to sit down. "Hearing both of your stories has added upon me yet another sin. More nightmares shall come to me now, more than I previously had." the man said to them in a sad/remorseful tone of voice as he glance at them before he slowly lie backward down into the coffin. "Now… please leave."

The lid of the coffin next to the man slowly rise up from the ground and right before the lid closed the coffin and the man lying within, Angelina decided to asked the man another question.

"Wait just a minute, please!" said Angelina in a quick tone of voice to the man and they watched as the lid of the coffin stopped and floated in mid-air for a few seconds before it flew away from the coffin and landed on the ground again. The man lightly groaned before he slowly sat back up and glance at them again.

"…You are still here?" the man asked them.

"Who are you?" Angelina asked the man. "You should at least tell us your name."

The man hesitated to answer Angelina's question for a few second then finally made up his mind and decided to tell them. "I was with… the Shinra Manufacturing Department in Administrative Research, otherwise known as-the Turks… And my name is Vincent Valentine."

"The Turks!?" exclaimed both Cloud and Angelina in surprised.

"Formerly of the Turks." the man named Vincent told them. "I have no affiliation with Shinra company now… And what about you all?"

"I'm Cloud Strife and these three with me are my friends. Angelina Pierce, Laina Donovan and Kunsel Ashbourne." Cloud introduced himself and his three friends to Vincent, who glance at Cloud then at both Angelina and Kunsel until his crimson eyes landed on Laina (who stepped out from Kunsel's back) and his eyes widened in surprised then joy/hope when he saw her.

"Lucrecia? Is that you?" said Vincent to Laina in a joy/hopeful tone of voice.

"What?" said Laina, giving him a confused look.

"Hey, what's wrong with your eyes, buddy?" said Kunsel sternly at Vincent. "She's not Lucrecia. She's Laina Donovan."

Vincent blinked his eyes and glance at Laina's feature closely then he slowly turned his head away. "Forgive me for the mistake. It's just that she look so much like a woman I used to know and loved deeply. Her name was Lucrecia."

"Who is this Lucrecia?" Laina asked Vincent.

"…Lucrecia is the woman who gave birth to Sephiroth." replied Vincent.

"Say what? This Lucrecia woman is Sephiroth's true mother?" said Angelina with a surprised then confused look on her face.

"Wasn't Jenova Sephiroth's mother?" said Cloud, surprised and confused as well.

"That isn't completely wrong, but just a theory." said Vincent. "He was born from a beautiful lady. That lady was Lucrecia. She was an assistant to Professor Gast of the Jenova Project. Beautiful… Lucrecia."

"… A human experiment?" said Cloud as he suddenly remembered the name of Professor Gast being mentioned by Sephiroth when he had been pacing in the underground laboratory room after he read through those files/reports about the Jenova Project 6 years ago and feel disgusted at the lengths the Shinra scientist would do to get what they want.

" _Those Shinra scientist bastards!"_ thought Angelina angrily in her mind while both Laina and Kunsel continue staring at Vincent in silence.

"There was no way to cancel the experiment." Vincent continue telling them with a sad/mournful look on his face now. "I couldn't stop her. That was my sin. I let the one I loved, the one I respected most, face the worst all alone."

At that moment, Laina had a sudden feeling that both her and Vincent were kind of kindred spirits. For she's too felt responsible for what happened to Zack 2 years ago and blamed herself for his death, like how Vincent felt responsible for Lucrecia and blamed himself for not stopping her.

"And you decided to punish yourself by sleeping?" said Kunsel with a "Are-you-serious" look on his face. "That's kind of a stupid decision."

Vincent glared at Kunsel for a few seconds then he slowly lie back down into the coffin and the lid of the coffin next to him floated back up from the ground again and closed the coffin and Vincent, who lies inside. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel stared at the now silent coffin for a while then they turned around, went out of the room to joined up with the others waiting outside, close the door behind them and they all turned to glance at the large door which leads into the underground laboratory in front of them. Cloud and his friends/companions walked toward the door and Cloud opened the door and they all went into the room.

Once they are all inside the underground laboratory room and looked around, Cloud, Angelina and Laina saw that the place hasn't changed much in the past 5, 6 years. The long, rectangular table (with a kind of light machine scientist used to shine on their experiments next to the table) is still in the middle of the room, several bookshelves and a wooden cabinet with old and dusty books and shattered medicine bottles on them along with several machines and dusty old tubes (Laina turn to look away from the old tubes that both she and Zack busted themselves out from and later helped both Cloud and Angelina to get out of them 2 years ago) against the wall in several corner.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Tifa's eyes then landed on the wooden door to their left and the 4 of them left the others (who's still looking around the room), went toward the door, opened it and they went into another old and dusty room which is a combination of a library and an office and they soon saw Sephiroth standing inside the room, staring at them with a faint evil smile on his face.

"Sephiroth!" said both Cloud and Angelina in a loud and furious tone of voice as they glared at him while both Tifa and Laina, who's standing behind them both just glared at him in silence.

"Being back here brings back memories." said Sephiroth in a soft/gentle voice as he looked away from them, looked around at the library/office walls around him then looked back at them again. "Are all of you going to participate in the Reunion?"

"We don't even know what this Reunion of yours is!" Cloud growled angrily at him.

"Jenova will be at the Reunion." Sephiroth continue saying to them, ignoring Cloud's words of anger. "Jenova will join the Reunion becoming a calamity from the skies."

"Jenova, a calamity from the skies?" said Angelina in an awkward tone of voice. "You mean she wasn't an Ancient!?"

Sephiroth heard what Angelina just said and he looked away from Cloud to her, look into her eyes and saw only confusion/cluelessness in her eyes and a frown look immediately appeared on his face before he slowly shook his head. "… I see." said Sephiroth in an emotionless tone of voice now. "I don't think that both you and him have the right to participate. But her however…" Sephiroth look at Laina past both Cloud and Angelina's shoulders and Laina frowned at him. "She is allowed to participate."

"What?" said Angelina in an incredulous tone of voice. "Why her?"

Sephiroth ignored Angelina and looked away from them. "I will go North past Mount Nibel now." Sephiroth told them. "If any of you wish to find out… then follow me…"

"…Reunion?" Cloud whisper to himself, repeating Sephiroth's words. "Calamity from the skies?"

While Cloud was lost in his thoughts about Sephiroth's words, Sephiroth suddenly pull a green-coloured materia (Destruct materia) out from his left pocket and threw it at Cloud. The materia struck hard on his chest, causing Cloud to gasp and he fell on one knee to the floor, his hand over his now bruised chest while the materia which Sephiroth just threw at him roll away in front of him now.

"Cloud!" said both Angelina and Tifa worriedly as they kneel down near Cloud while Laina watched as Sephiroth floated up from the floor and flew forward over their heads, out of the library/office and laboratory rooms (which surprises Barret and the others) and disappearing down the underground tunnel.

After the pain on his chest fade away, Cloud reassured both Angelina and Tifa that he's alright before he slowly staggered to his feet while picking up the materia which Sephiroth threw at him, put it into his right pocket with the other materia, turned around and leave the library/office with Angelina, Tifa and Laina, joined up with the others waiting for them in the laboratory room and they then left the laboratory room and began to head back down the tunnel toward the ladder.

"Wait!" said Vincent's voice from behind them suddenly and Cloud and his friends/companions halted in their tracks and turned around to glance at Vincent as he run out from the room he's in, spotted them and ran over to them with a determined look on his pale face and ceased his running. "If I go with you all, will I meet Hojo?" Vincent asked them.

"Dunno." admitted Cloud as he shrugged his shoulders. "But we're all going after him and Sephiroth. So, I guess sooner or later…"

Vincent closed his eyes and turned away from them, remembering the woman named Lucrecia in his memory. "Lucrecia…" Vincent whispered her name softly before he opened his eyes and turned back to them. "All right. I've decided to go with you all."

"Wait, what?" said Selwyn as he raised his eyebrow.

"What? You're really coming with us?" said Tifa, surprised.

"Sure is a quick change of heart, huh?" said Aeris.

Vincent nodded to them. "Being a former member of Turks, I may be of help to you all…" said Vincent.

"What's your decision, Cloud?" asked Laina as she glance at him.

Cloud crossed his arms to ponder for a few seconds then uncrossed his arms and nodded to Vincent. "All right, then. You can come with us."

Vincent nodded back to Cloud in silent gratitude and he soon follow after them as they all turned around, headed toward the ladder, climbed up the ladder one by one until they reached the upper ground level, walked up the dark, spiral staircase, went out through the opened secret shaft stone wall, out of the second-floor room back toward the second floor staircase, went down the stairs toward the old wooden door, opened the door and leave Shinra mansion.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38: Heading across Mount Nibel and battle against Materia Keeper**

After Cloud and his friends/companions came out of Shinra mansion and went through the opened iron gate, they all turned to their left, leave Nibelheim village behind them and headed straight toward the Nibelheim mountains in front of them. Cloud and his friends/companions soon headed/travelled up the Nibelheim mountains which slowly turned rough and jagged the more they walked on (some of Cloud's friends/companions like Aeris, Red XIII, Cait Sith and Nina try to get Vincent to talk to them after they introduced themselves to him but he remained silent), the mountains themselves were just as Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina had remembered them, the jagged cliffs of the mountains were silent, grey and devoid of life and the air on the mountains were quite cold and dry and making them all feel uneasy and apprehensive.

Cloud and his friends/companions then walked across a long, wooden bridge away from the mountain they travel through toward another mountain in front of them, stepped off the bridge to continue their trek through the jagged mountains (and fight/killed off some Kyuvilduns, Sonic speeds, Bombs, Scissor Chitens, Raijinchos and Zuus monsters who appeared before them) until they all went into a cavern hole, looked around and saw that they're standing on a narrow rocky ground with a staircase and some huge, old and rusted-looking pipes next to the staircase which leads down to another narrow rocky ground to their left. As Cloud and his friends/companions approach the staircase and walked down the stairs one by one toward the second narrow rocky ground below them and stepped off the stairs, all of them soon heard a loud piercing screech of a monster coming from below them (which make both Yuffie and Nina jumped a little in fright) and Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel quickly broke away from the others toward the edge of the narrow rocky ground and look down.

Right below them at the bottommost narrow rocky ground and standing on a small rocky path which leads out to the exit stood a huge and menacing-looking six-legged scorpion monster (named Materia Keeper). It had a body of thick, dark blue shell/skin which looks hard/tough enough that not even Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel's swords and naginata could penetrate (and not even Barret's bullets in his gun-arm could penetrate its tough shell/skin as well). All six of its legs were pincers which is use to grabbed and tear its victims apart while behind it is a long, flexible and dangerous-looking spiked tail with a lethal poison at the tip of its spiked tail, making Materia Keeper a walking arsenal of pincers, spikes and poison.

"Cloud, do you have any idea on how we are going to defeat/killed that thing?" Angelina asked him.

Cloud crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes to ponder for a few seconds then he got some ideas and opened his eyes to tell them. "We could try use/casted our materia, summon materia and our limit breaks on it or Laina could use her power of "Telekinesis" to defeat/killed it off if the former plan doesn't work."

"That's quite the ideas you just had in your mind, Cloud." said Kunsel as he glance at Cloud with an almost approving look on his face.

Cloud nodded silently to Kunsel before he, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel turned and walked away from the edge of the second narrow rocky ground back to the rest of their friends/companions and Cloud told them about his plan to defeat/killed Materia Keeper. Barret, Tifa and the others all agreed with his plan before they all walked toward a ladder attached against the middle edge of the second narrow rocky ground, climbed down the ladder one by one, stepped off the ladder and they all approach Materia Keeper to begin their battle against it. Materia Keeper saw Cloud and his friends/companions approaching it and it let out another loud piercing screech at them before it opened and swung its pincers at them, intending to grabbed and tear some of them apart. Cloud and his friends/companions swiftly dodged away from its grabbing pincer attacks and its pincers closed on thin air before Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris casted a series of Fira, Thundara, Blizzara and Gravity magics at its face.

Materia Keeper screech in pain and anger when Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris casted their materia powers at it that it raised its pincer arms to covered its face as it back away from them, use Cura on itself to healed its wounds before it turned and charge toward Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter, ignoring Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris. Carter saw Materia Keeper charging toward them and he quickly use/casted his own series of Thundara magics at it, making Materia Keeper to screech, raised its arms and back away from him and it casted Cura on itself again. Materia Keeper then glared at them before it closed its eyes in concentration and it soon casted "Trine" magic on Cloud and his friends/companions.

The lightning from its "Trine" magic struck and electrocute Barret, Yuffie, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and Selwyn, causing them to yelled out in pain and they fell down onto the ground while Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Kunsel, Aeris and Vincent, who dodged left and right away from its "Trine" magic attack, saw them fell to the ground and Aeris immediately went to them and use her "Healing Wind" limit break on them to healed them while Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Kunsel and Vincent turned and charge toward Materia Keeper. Cloud, Angelina and Tifa casted a series of Fira, Thundara and Blizzara at it, Laina uses her "Telekinesis" at Materia Keeper and tear all six of its pincer arms and its flexible, dangerous and poisonous spiked tail away from it, causing it to screech in pain/anger again and with all six of its arms and tail gone, it fell onto the ground. Vincent then flung open his red cape to pull out the shotgun from his holster, raised, aimed and fired his shotgun several times at Materia Keeper's eyes to blinded it while Kunsel pull out the Shiva summon materia which Priscilla gave to him back in Junon and he summoned Shiva out. Soon a slender, beautiful blue-skinned woman with deep blue-coloured eyes, long, waist-length light blue hair tied up into a ponytail behind her head and wearing a pale, pink-coloured bikini on her body appear before them. Shiva glance down at the now armless/legless Materia Keeper for a few seconds before she raised her right hand above her head and they watched as a huge ball of blue-coloured energy rapidly gather and expand in her right hand, once the huge ball of blue-coloured energy in Shiva's right hand is ready, Shiva lowered her right hand and launch the huge ball of blue-coloured energy toward Materia Keeper. The energy struck Materia Keeper dead on, immediately freezes and covered Materia Keeper's entire body (and silence its screeches of pain and anger) into ice and Shiva herself soon morphed back into the red summon materia and floated back toward Kunsel, who grabbed it and put the Shiva summon materia back into his pocket.

After Kunsel had summoned Shiva and Shiva had used her ice power to freeze Materia Keeper, rendering it unable to move freely for a while, Laina then pull out the Odin summon materia (which Cloud gave to her after the three of them defeated/killed Lost Number back in Shinra mansion) and she summoned Odin out. Soon a circular, black-coloured portal appear in front of Laina and Odin along with his amazing six-legged horse, Sleiphir came out of the black-coloured portal and both rider and horse stared at the frozen Materia Keeper in front of them for a few seconds before Odin reach for his blade and pull it out of its sheath, raised it high above his head and his horse, Sleiphir rose up and gave out a loud neigh before it started galloping swiftly toward Materia Keeper and Odin swing his blade (to use Zantensuken strike) at Materia Keeper and slash its frozen body in half. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others watched as the two halves of Materia Keeper's frozen body fell to the ground before shattering into dozens of ice pieces then dispersed/disappear back into the Lifestream. After Materia Keeper's body is gone and it left behind two items for them (Jem Ring and Counter materia and which Cloud picked up from the ground and hand it over to Angelina) both Odin and Sleiphir morphed back into the red summon materia and floated back toward Laina, who grabbed it and put it back into her pocket, just like Kunsel did minutes ago.

Cloud and his friends/companions then walked down the rocky path which leads out to the exit, went through the exit, looked around outside at the other Nibelheim mountains for a few seconds then they all looked down, saw another cavern hole right below their feet and they jumped down and went into the cavern hole one by one and saw that they're inside a dark cave with some stalactites hanging above them on the cave ceiling and some stalagmites rising up from the ground.

Cloud and his friends/companions then walked across the cave toward another cave hole in front of them, went through it, looked around and saw that they're inside an old secluded grotto and in the center of the grotto ahead of them with sunlight shining onto it from a hole in the cavern ceiling above was a beautiful, natural rocky fountain with a large, pale green mako crystal at the pinnacle of the rocky fountain and ethereal green water at the bottom of it (Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina widened their eyes in surprised when they saw that this grotto place still remained the same after 5, 6 years while Barret, Aeris, Kunsel, Yuffie and the others widened their eyes in awed at the beauty of the grotto and its natural rocky fountain with its large, pale green mako crystal on it).

Cloud and his friends/companions then walked across the grotto, past the natural rocky fountain and its large, pale-green mako crystal, went through another cavern hole into another cave, walked across the cavern (while fighting some Dragon and Kyuvilduns monsters) toward and through yet another cave hole and saw that they're now outside of the cavern and standing at the bottom of the Nibelheim mountain.

They then turned to their right and went up a long rocky path up the Nibelheim mountain, arrived at the Nibelheim Mako Reactor (Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina look at the mako reactor and remembered the time when Sephiroth killed Tifa's father and nearly killed them off before disappearing with Jenova's head 5, 6 years ago) and they walked past the reactor toward a rocky path which leads down and away from the Nibelheim mountains and they all walked down the long, rocky path (and having some small talks among themselves while they walked down the long, rocky path. Barret grumbled angrily about seeing another mako reactor and about some of their team members being Ex-Shinra members, Selwyn try to cheer/reassured Tifa up after she saw the mako reactor which make her remember about some angry/depressed memories and she gave him a grateful smile for it while Vincent silently stared at Laina since her feature reminded him of Lucrecia, which annoyed Kunsel and Vincent knows that her, Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel were human experiments just like him but decided to stay silent about it) until they stepped off the Nibelheim mountain's rocky path back into the wide grassy plains with a river flowing toward the ocean nearby them and they quickly sit/settled themselves down on the grassy plains, deciding to take a break to recuperate themselves from all the fighting and trekking across the mountains, the caves and the monsters (and have some food and drinks to replenish their strength/stamina a little) for a while before they all stood up from the grassy plains and resumed their journey.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39: Heading to Rocket Town and meeting Cid Highwind**

Two hours after Cloud and his friends/companions walked away from the Nibelheim mountains, across the grassy plains while the blazing sun shone its hot UV ray lights down on them which make them feel tired and sweat a little (and they also fight off some Velchek Tasks, Valrons and Nibel Wolfs monsters which followed behind them) until they finally saw the sight of Rocket Town in front of them (and some of them let out huge sighs of relieved) and picked up their pace toward it.

After they all went through the entrance of Rocket Town and looked around the place (and saw that the town was a simple-looking town with a bar and an inn to their left, a weapon and item shop to their right and some two-storey houses near the bar, inn, weapon and item shops around them) they were surprised to see that there's neither any signs of Shinra nor their mako reactors anywhere within the town. And the townspeople who walked around the town had normal/peaceful looks on their faces instead of the usual looks of sadness, depression and misery that Cloud and his friends/companions had seen during their visits to other different towns/village while on their journey like North Corel and Gongaga.

"What's that…!?" Cloud exclaimed in a surprised tone of voice suddenly as he glance away from the townspeople and their houses and shops and saw a kind of huge and strange-looking structure far in front of him and everyone followed his gaze, looked up and ahead of them, saw what he saw and were as surprised as Cloud was (except for Laina, Kunsel, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and Vincent).

The huge and strange-looking structure in front of them turns out to be a rocket, a very old-looking, bronze-coloured metallic rocket with brown-coloured rust and green-coloured mosses growing on it. Instead of standing straight/upright like a normal rocket, this one was slowly tilting down onto its left side, held on only by the edges of the thin metallic and rusted-looking pillars which surrounds it. Yet even so, the pillars were also slowly tilting down onto the left side by the heavy weight of the rocket pushing down on them.

"That's a rusty old rocket, Cloud." Angelina told him as she glance away from the rocket to him. Cloud looked over at Angelina and nodded to her.

"I wonder why they'd make something that huge for?" asked Tifa.

"Years ago after the war between both Wutai and Shinra while I was still in Shinra company, I overheard some Shinra employees who worked in Shinra," Laina answered Tifa's question while leaving out some certain truths (Yuffie flinched a little when she heard Laina said the "Wutai" word). "That they planned on using/launching that rocket into outer space. But for some unknown reason, they suddenly cancelled the entire going into outer space project and leave that rocket aside to rot away by itself. I don't know why they would do that."

"Who cares what reasons the goddamn Shinra have about that pile of junk in front of us." said Barret with a dark scowl on his face. "I'm hungry and thirsty enough for some food and drinks and tired and smelly enough for a long bath and rest."

Most of Cloud's friends/companions agreed with Barret's suggestion and they all dispersed away and headed toward the bar and the inn to their left, leaving Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel and Vincent behind, standing at the entrance. With most of their friends/companions gone and with nothing better to do, Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel and Vincent looked away from the rocket, split up and decided to explore the town on their own.

Cloud, Angelina and Laina went toward the Item shop and both Kunsel and Vincent went toward the Weapon shop to their left. After Cloud, Angelina and Laina went into the Item shop and bought some Hi-potions and Ethers from the guy who worked there, the three of them soon left the Item shop and went toward the bar (which Barret, Tifa, Aeris, Red XIII and Selwyn went into minutes ago). As Cloud, Angelina and Laina went into the bar and saw them having some food and drinks at one of the round-shaped table to their right, all of them looking lost in their thoughts in silence. The three of them decided to leave the others to their own thoughts, food and drinks and headed toward the bar table where a lone barman is busy polishing some glasses with a clean white cloth, next to another round-shaped table with a man in his forties sitting in a chair.

"What can I get for you three?" the barman asked Cloud, Angelina and Laina after they sat down on the barstools in front of the bar. Cloud, Angelina and Laina told the barman their orders and the barman nodded to them (while memorizing their orders) before he put the white cloth and the glass he's polishing down on the bar counter, turned around to mix three drinks from various bottles that were lined up on the bar-shelf behind him. Once he's done, the barman then turned around, gave the 3 of them their drinks before he turned and went through a wooden door next to the bar counter (probably the kitchen), came out a few seconds later and continue his previous task of polishing the glasses.

"What's the story about this town?" Cloud asked the barman after he took a sip of the drink which the barman mix for him (and found that the drink tasted quite nice).

"If you want to know the story about this town, you should meet the Captain." replied the barman. "He's the town representative and the one in charge of it."

"Captain?" said Angelina, slightly confused.

"Who's the "Captain"?" Cloud asked the barman again (and at the same time the wooden door next to the bar counter open outward and a man in a chef outfit came out, carrying three plates of food in his arms, put them on the bar counter table in front of Cloud, Angelina and Laina before turning and went back through the wooden door into the kitchen. Cloud, Angelina and Laina then proceed to eat the food they ordered).

"The Captain was a pilot back when Shinra was still interested in their Space Program." The barman answered Cloud's question. "He was going to be the world's first astronaut, but there was an accident…"

"What kind of accident?" asked Angelina.

"Beats me, miss." said the barman. "Ever since then, he's been wasting his own life away here in this town and continue his dreaming about going into outer space."

Hearing about what the barman just said and remember what Laina just told them minutes ago (while they were staring up at the rocket) make both Cloud and Angelina to crossed their arms and ponder deeply. As they both ponder deeply about the "Captain" guy and about his past connection with Shinra, Laina decided to asked the barman another question.

"Did you see a man in a Black Cape?" Laina asked the barman.

"A man in a Black Cape?" said the barman as he stopped polishing the glasses to ponder deeply for a few seconds then shook his head. "Nope… don't know a thing about it."

The barman then say nothing more to Cloud, Angelina and Laina and continue polishing the glasses. Cloud, Angelina and Laina then swiftly finished their food and drinks, pay for the food and drinks to the barman before the 3 of them turned to the round-shaped table where Barret, Tifa and the others were sitting (and who also finished their food and drinks), broke them out of their "lost-in-thought" attitude and they all leave the bar, headed back out into the town again, asked the townspeople where the Captain's house is and they told Cloud and his friends/companions where it is before they all went toward the house which the townspeople told them.

As Cloud and his friends/companions approach the house, they saw that the house was quite small and quaint-looking, with a dark-coloured tiled roof, four glass-paned windows that looked out into the town, white-coloured walls on the exterior of the house and a small white-coloured fence that surrounded the house and which extended all the way to the very back of the house.

Cloud and his friends/companions went up to the front door and Cloud raised his left hand to knocked gently on it. They waited for a while for someone to open the door and when no one did, Cloud knock on the front door again, a little harder this time. When no one open the door for the second time, Cloud decided to try turning the doorknob on the door and was surprised to see that the door was unlocked. He looked over his shoulders at the others standing behind him and when they all nodded to him, he opened the door and they all went into the house.

Once Cloud and his friends/companions are inside the house, they looked around and saw that the entire interior of the house was just as quaint-looking as the exterior of the house. The living room/kitchen took up the most part of the house (with a round-shaped table with four chairs around the table next to the sink in the middle of the room and with a huge, square-shaped green-coloured carpet under the table and chairs on the floor), with two closed doors leading into two, smaller rooms (the toilet room and the storage room) near the kitchen on the left corner of the room and a third door leading into another room (the bedroom) to their right.

"Doesn't look like anyone's in here." said Tifa to the others as she looked around the living room/kitchen.

"Maybe they're outside, at the very back of the house?" said Aeris as she noticed a short hallway in between the storage room and the bedroom which leads to another door at the back in the house.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others nodded at Aeris suggestion, headed down the hallway toward the door, opened it and they went out to the house's backyard. Once they're in the backyard, they saw that it was larger than they expected and the reason for why the backyard was larger than they expected is standing in front of them in the middle of the backyard. It was a bluish/pink-coloured small plane with a blunted nose at the front instead of the usual smooth point with the propeller on it. It also looked a little old and dirty with age but it still look airworthy enough to travel some distances in the sky.

"Wow, would you all look at that." said Selwyn as he stared at the bluish/pink-coloured plane with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, it looks amazing." said Aeris with a nod of her head.

"There's an old Shinra logo painted on the side of it." said Angelina to the others as she noticed the Shinra logo on it.

Cloud approach the plane and raised his right hand to wipe away some of the dirt on the side of the plane and it fell away from the plane, revealing its name. "Tiny Bronco…" Cloud read the name of the plane. "…This is a cool-looking airplane."

"I wonder if we can borrow it?" said Tifa.

"Why should we borrow it, Tifa? Let's just steal this plane right under Shinra's nose!" snapped Barret fiercely to Tifa with a fiery glare in his eyes, getting pumped up at the thought of stealing the "Tiny Bronco" airplane from Shinra and making them squirm in frustration. "Why should we let them keep all the useful vehicles and aircrafts to themselves?"

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Tifa lowered their heads and sighed at Barret's attitude and before any of them could say anything to Barret, they all heard the sound of the door opening behind them and they all turned around and saw a woman (who looked to be in her early thirties and who's wearing a long, white lab coat over a long sleeve yellow-coloured shirt with matching long pants and brown shoes) standing behind them, staring at them through a pair of old glasses on her slightly round-shaped face and brown eyes.

"Um… may I help you all?" the woman asked Cloud and his friends/companions.

"Uh, no…" replied Cloud with a shrug of his shoulders. "We're just looking at it."

"…If you all wanted to use it, please ask the Captain." the woman said to them in an anxious/wavering tone of voice. "The Captain should be inside the Rocket now. I'm Shera. And what are your names?"

"I'm Cloud." said Cloud as he introduced himself to Shera before the others introduced themselves to her as well.

"I'm Angelina."

"Hello, Shera. I'm Aeris."

"Tifa. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Laina."

"I'm Barret, of AVALANCHE."

"Nanaki, otherwise known as Red XIII."

"And I'm Selwyn."

"Hmmm… So you all are not with Shinra." said Shera with a slightly disappointed look on her face while she folded her arms across her chest. "And here I thought that the approval for the reopening of the Space Program came."

"…!?" exclaimed Cloud with a shocked look on his face.

"President Rufus is scheduled to come here." Shera told them as she tucked a few strands of her brown hair behind her right ear. "The Captain's been so restless all morning."

After Shera's done talking to them, she turned around and went back into the house, leaving Cloud and his friends/companions standing out in the backyard near the "Tiny Bronco" airplane. Once she's gone, Cloud turned to glance at the others.

"Rufus!?" Cloud exclaimed to them in a shocked tone of voice.

"He's coming here, huh?" said Barret with a dark look on his face. "Looks like the time for me to settle some score with him has finally come."

"Not now, Barret!" said Laina to Barret and he glared at her.

"Laina's right, Barret." said Cloud. "I think we all should go to the rocket and see this Captain."

Barret switch his glare from Laina to Cloud for a while then crossed his arms over his chest, turned and looked away from Cloud. Cloud and the others then ignored Barret's bad mood/attitude, turned and went back into the house (with Barret following reluctantly behind them), leave the house then turned to their right and walked swiftly toward the rocket. As Cloud and his friends/companions approach the rocket, they didn't see any sign of the Captain anywhere below the rocket, only some minor engineer workers who were making/doing some final adjustments to the launch bay and polishing some of the rust and moss off of the rocket.

Cloud and his friends/companions ignored the workers doing their jobs and walked around to the side of the rocket, trying to find the way into the rocket. Soon they saw a metal staircase near a pillar with a metal ladder attached against the side of the pillar leading straight up to an open doorway into the rocket. Cloud and his friends/companions went up the metal staircase, approach the metal ladder attached against the side of the pillar on the rocket and Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Selwyn climbed up the ladder one by one, while Barret, Tifa, Aeris and Red XIII decided to wait for them on the staircase at the bottom of the rocket.

After Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Selwyn reached the top of the rocket and climbed off the ladder, they turned to their right, went through the opened doorway into the rocket and they soon saw a man who's standing with his back to them (and standing near a closed metal door which leads into another room) was busy working on tightening some of the metal pipes in the rocket with a wrench in his left hand. He was wearing a thick blue-coloured jacket with both sleeves rolled right up to his elbows, long brown pants with black boots on his feet, brown leather gloves on his hands which look slightly old/worn over the years, short blonde hair on his head which was pushed back by a set of air goggles strapped around his head, a packet of cigarette poking out from his right pants pocket and a long, fearsome and sharp-looking grey-coloured lance lying on the rocket floor near the man's left feet. As they step into the rocket and the man heard their approaching footsteps, he slowly turned around to glance at them with a surprised look on his face, which was coarse and unshaven-looking with blue eyes staring fiercely at them now (no longer surprised) and a single cigarette perched on his mouth.

"What're you guys doin' here?" the man snapped fiercely at them.

"We heard that the Captain was in here." Cloud told the fierce-looking man.

"Captain, you say? I'm the Captain!" said the man to Cloud with a nod of his head. "The name's Cid Highwind. Everyone calls me "Captain", though. So, what d'ya all want?" the fierce man named Cid asked them.

"Tell us about this rocket." Cloud asked Cid, deciding that the rocket was a good topic to start with. He decide correctly and they all watched as the fierce look on Cid's face abruptly change into a happiness/surprise look.

"Wow! Not bad for a kid like you!" Cid said to Cloud in a happy tone of voice. "Alright then, I'll explain it to you all. You all know that Shinra developed a lot of technological gadgets during the meaningless war against Wutai, right?" Cid told them.

"Unfortunately." said Laina with a frown look on her face.

"Now it's a Mako company, but back in the old days it was a weapon manufacturer company." Cid continue telling them. "Well, they came up with a Rocket Engine. There was so much excitement about the thought of going into outer space. Our dreams got bigger and bigger. They put a major budget into it and made prototype after prototype! Until finally, they completed Shinra rocket No.26. They chose the best pilot in Shinra—no, in the world—me. I mean, come on. And finally we get to the day of the launch. Everything was goin' well…"

All of a sudden the happy look on Cid's face change into an angry look before he turned away from them and kicked the wall of the rocket with his right feet, making Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn jumped a little, except Laina.

"But, because of that dumb-ass Shera, the launch got messed up. That's why they became so anal!" said Cid angrily to the wall before he composed himself and turned around to glance at them. "And so, Shinra nixed their outer space exploration plans, right after they told me how the future was Space Exploration and got my damn hopes up… DAMN THEM!" Cid growled and turned away from them again. "Then, it was all over once they found out Mako energy was profitable. They didn't even so much as look at space exploration. Money, moola, dinero! My dream was just a financial number for them!" Cid glance and gestured around the inside of the rocket for them to see. "Look at this rusted Rocket. I was supposed to be the first man in outer space with it. Everyday, it tilts a little bit more. At this rate, I don't know what will come first, this thing falling down completely or me getting' outta here." Cid lowered his head to stared down at the floor, depressed now. "My final hope is to talk to the President…"

"Is Rufus really coming here?" Laina asked Cid.

"Yeah!" replied Cid as he glance up at Laina, his depressed mood change into happy mood once again. "It must be news about restarting the Space Program. A young President, that's what we needed! He still has dreams, too!"

"Good luck on that." Selwyn muttered under his breath and Laina elbowed his ribs hard, causing him to winced in pain then glared at her while both Cloud and Angelina didn't say anything to Cid. Cloud then sighed heavily and decided to ask Cid his final question.

"Can we borrow the "Tiny Bronco"?"

The moment Cid heard the words "borrow" and "Tiny Bronco" from Cloud, he glance away from Laina and glared at Cloud with such a dark/fierce look than before and Cloud gulped in nervousness/fear.

"You out of your #&$*$# mind!?" Cid yelled angrily at Cloud. "That airplane's my most prized possession! I can't let you take it!" After Cid yelled at Cloud, he turned away from them and resumed working on tightening the pipes with the wrench in his left hand, completely ignoring Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Selwyn. And when Cloud try to talk to Cid again, Cid responded by banging the wrench on the pipes hard, drowning out Cloud's voice.

"Come on, Cloud." said Angelina with a sigh. "Let's leave him with his rocket and head back to the town."

"Fine, Angie." replied Cloud, sighing as well.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Selwyn then turned and went through the opened doorway toward the ladder, climbed down the ladder one by one until they reached the staircase where Barret, Tifa, Aeris and Red XIII were waiting, joined up with them before they all walked down the staircase, walked away from the rocket and the engineer workers back into Rocket Town and went back into Cid's house.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40: Hearing Shera story, battle against Palmer, getting the Tiny Bronco and Cid joined the team**

After Cloud and his friends/companions went back into Cid's house and didn't see Shera anywhere (but they did heard some sounds coming from the backyard so they assumed that Shera's in the backyard now with the Tiny Bronco), they decided to stay in the living room and think/discuss among themselves about what they should do next.

"What should we do now, everyone?" said Selwyn as he glance at Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others. "He won't let us take his Tiny Bronco."

"Who cares about that stubborn #$%#?" said Barret as he waved his arms around above his head. "I say let's take it and get out of this town!"

"And go where, Barret?" said Cloud. "We don't know where Sephiroth has gone off to after he left Nibelheim and Rufus is coming to this town. We should stay here until he arrived and hopefully, get a lead on where we should go next without him or his Shinra cohorts see us here."

"I agreed with Cloud." said Angelina. "We should stay here for a while longer."

"Uh, excuse me… Cloud?" said Shera's voice from behind them and Cloud and his friends/companions all turned around to glance at Shera. "Did the Captain say anything?" Shera asked him.

"Nope…" replied Cloud with a shake of his head.

"Oh…?" said Shera, trying to sound surprised and not doing a very good job of it.

Just then, the front door swung open, banging loudly against the inner wall of the house (which make Tifa and Angelina jumped a little) and Cloud and his friends/companions turned around and they saw that it's Cid. Cid stormed his way into his house with his spear in his right hand, went into the living room/kitchen, saw Cloud and his friends/companions standing inside the living room/kitchen then turned to glared furiously at poor Shera.

"#$%& Shera. What are you, blind or something!?" Cid yelled angrily at her. "We got guests! GO AND GET SOME TEA FOR THEM! #$%&!"

Shera flinched and shrank back from the Captain's angry yelling to her before she quickly recovered her composure and pull herself together. "I…I'm sorry." Shera apologized quickly to Cid before she swiftly walked past Cloud and the others toward the kitchen, began taking out some cups from a cupboard above her before turning to the kettle to make a pot of tea. Both Tifa and Aeris watched with sad/pity in their eyes at Shera, whose hands were shaking so much that they expected her to drop and break a cup at any seconds while both Angelina and Selwyn glared at Cid, angry at the harsh way he treated poor Shera.

"Really, don't mind us." Cloud told Cid, didn't want to see Shera to get into trouble because of them.

"Shut up!" Cid yelled at Cloud. "All of you sit your asses down in those chairs and drink your goddamn TEAS!"

Cloud raised his eyebrow in surprised, both Angelina and Selwyn's glaring looks deepen while Laina and the others just stared at him in silence.

"Arggggggh! DAMN, I'm pissed!" Cid continue saying in a furious tone of voice before he turned to glance at poor Shera again. "Shera! I'll be in the backyard tunin' up Tiny Bronco! An' make sure to serve them some tea! All right!?" After Cid told Shera off, he began to walked briskly past both Cloud and Selwyn, down the short hallway toward the back door, opened it then slammed it shut behind him with another loud bang.

"Sheesh…! What bad manners!" said Aeris as she turned and scowled at the back door which Cid had gone through.

"He's quite the cursing jerk." said Laina, agreeing with Aeris.

"Sorry about that." said Cloud as he turned to glance at Shera.

"It's our fault." said Angelina, agreeing with Cloud.

"No, no, it's not your fault." said Shera as she stops what she's doing and turned around to glance at them. "He's always like this."

"Is it always like this…?" said Tifa, giving Shera a concerned look. "Why is Cid so hard on you?"

"Tifa's got a point, Shera." said Laina. "How can you put up with his harsh attitude on you?"

"No, you two don't understand." Shera told both Laina and Tifa as she shook her head. "The reason he's become like that is because of my stupid mistake. I was the one who destroyed his dream…"

"What do you mean by "destroyed his dream"?" said Angelina, confused.

"What happened?" asked Cloud as he and the others all stared at Shera. Shera let out a small sigh, went toward one of the chairs near the round-shaped table in the middle of the living room/kitchen, sat down on it and decided to tell them her tale.

XXXX

 _Both Cid and Shera were inside the rocket, in the room where all the oxygen tanks were. Shera was kneeling on the floor and busy doing some final check-ups on one of the oxygen tanks while Cid (who's standing behind her) watched on._

" _Hey! Get your ass in gear! You work like a snail!" said Cid sternly to Shera. "Even the moon'd get tired waitin' around for your slow ass!"_

 _Shera stop what she's doing, stood up from the floor and turned around to glance at Cid with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm… I'm sorry." said Shera._

" _Don't take so much time checkin' that #$% & oxygen tank!" Cid snapped at her. "Shera, bein' careful's good, but it won't do any good, no matter how many times you check that oxygen tank. That thing won't break even if hell froze over."_

" _But…" Shera began saying in a worried tone of voice._

" _No buts!" yelled Cid, cutting her off. "You're not stupid, so be more efficient!"_

" _I'm sorry…" Shera apologized to him again while lowering and shaking her head._

 _Cid nodded before he turned around, walked away from Shera (who kneel down and resumed her check-up on the oxygen tanks) out of the oxygen tanks room, walked down a corridor which leads to the cockpit (while feeling the usual tingle of excitement bubbling up in his veins, heart and soul because he'll soon have his biggest dream of being in outer space achieved) and he saw three more workers in blue engineer uniforms who were also doing their own final check-ups in the rocket outside the cockpit. The three men immediately stop what they're doing and stood up to faced Cid with huge smiles on their faces and excitements glowing in their eyes._

" _Captain!" exclaimed one of the men. "Our dreams are finally coming true!"_

" _We're so proud to be a part of the launch of Shinra No.26." said the second man._

" _Captain, preparations are complete! All that's left is lift off!" said the third man._

" _Yeah!" said Cid in a tone of excitement/eagerness as he stared at the three men. "Leave it all to me! I'll be back in a few!"_

 _The three men nodded before they suddenly run, turned and stood with their backs against the wall of the corridor outside the cockpit, raised their hands to their heads and saluted proudly to Cid. Cid stared at them for a few seconds before he began to march past the three saluting men with his head held high and feeling quite proud/exhilarated as he marched past them._

" _All right, Captain!" the three men all said in unison as he marched past them. "Fly our dreams into outer space!"_

" _Thanks, guys!" Cid said to them as he stopped in his tracks before the door to the cockpit then opened the cockpit door and went into it._

" _We're praying for your safe return, Captain!" the three men added to Cid as he went through the opened cockpit door and it closed behind him._

 _After the cockpit door closed behind him and Cid stared at the empty cockpit room around him then at the pilot seat in front of him (which is positioned before the main control panel and a huge monitor screen above it) with barely contained excitement/adrenaline coursing through his body and soul, he approach the pilot seat, sat himself down on it and looked down at the control panel in front of him._

" _Instrument panel… all clear." Cid spoke into the open intercom on the control panel. "Shinra No.26, ready for launch."_

" _Engine pressure rising." a man's voice crackled suddenly from the intercom, causes Cid to tensed up. "Shinra No.26, 3 minutes to launch. Beginning countdown now."_

"… _Finally." said Cid as he leaned himself back in the chair, looked up at the cockpit ceiling and take some deep, relaxing breaths to calm his excitement/adrenaline down. Just as he finally relaxed himself, a red alarm followed by a loud blaring siren suddenly came on inside the cockpit room and causing Cid to almost jumped out of his pilot seat. "What the? What happened!?" demanded Cid as he looked around the room frantically._

" _Cid! We have an emergency situation!" said the same man's voice (which is panicky now) from the intercom. "A mechanic is still in the engine/tank room section of the rocket!"_

" _What!?" Cid yelled angrily over the sounds of the loud blaring siren before he spoke angrily to the intercom. "Hey, who is the little #$% & who's still in there!?"_

" _I don't know." replied the man's voice. "Activating the intercom in the engine/tank room section."_

 _Cid tapped his fingers impatiently on the control panel as he waited for the man to activate the intercom in the engine/tank room section._

 _XXXX_

 _Inside the engine/tank room section, Shera is still continuing her check-up on the same oxygen tank (which still concerns her greatly), determined to fix the problem. But no matter how many times she tried to fix it, she couldn't get the sealing door on the oxygen tank to sealed up. As she thought of another way on how to close it up, the intercom speaker on the wall above her crackled to life and Cid's angry voice came booming into the engine/tank room._

" _Hey, goddammit!" yelled Cid angrily. "Who the #$% & still in there?"_

 _Shera stop what she's doing, stood up and glance up at the intercom attached on the wall above her. "It's Shera, Captain." Shera called up to the intercom. "Don't mind me, go ahead with the launch."_

" _Shera!?" Cid yelled back at her, sounding more angrier (and frustrated) than ever. "What the fuck are you still doing in there!?"_

" _I was still concerned." replied Shera calmly to Cid. "The results of the oxygen tank test weren't satisfactory."_

" _You stupid little #$% &! It's gonna get so hot in there that there ain't gonna be SHIT of you left when we blast off!" Cid told her off loudly through the intercom. "You're gonna be burnt to a crisp! You're gonna die! You know that, doncha!?"_

" _I don't mind." replied Shera as she lowered her head to stared down at the ground with a small smile on her face. "If I can just fix this, the launch will be a success, Captain. I'm almost done." Shera ceased talking, turned around, went toward another oxygen tank opposite the one she's checking and kneel down to check it._

" _Almost done, you say?" Cid yelled at her, unable to believe his ears at what Shera just said to him. "You're gonna die!"_

" _Cid, we must start the countdown now." said the man's voice through the intercom, just like Cid. "We won't make it if we don't!"_

 _XXXX_

" _Starting the engine now!" said the man's voice from the intercom in the cockpit room and Cid immediately felt the strong vibrations of the rocket's engine shaking /starting up underneath his feet and he frantically grabbed hold of the microphone next to the intercom._

" _Hey, wait a minute!" Cid yelled to the microphone. "Shera's still in here!"_

" _What are you going to do, Cid?" the man asked him. "If we cancel the launch now, it'll be another 6 months until the next launch!"_

 _Cid grunted loudly before raising and banging both of his tightly-clenched fists on the control panel in frustration (after he let go of the microphone). He wished that Shera would hurry up and finish her check-ups on the oxygen tanks, but if she still haven't then he would have no choice but to cancel the launch and wait for another 6 months for the next launch. And he don't think that he could wait that long, but still…_

" _GODDAMMIT, Shera…" Cid yelled to himself. "You wanna make me a murderer?"_

" _Captain!" Shera's voice suddenly called to him from the intercom._

" _Shera!?" yelled Cid as he frantically grabbed hold of the microphone again._

" _Tank Number 7 check is complete." Shera's voice continue talking to Cid from the intercom. "Once I complete Tank Number 8, it's all clear."_

" _Come on, Shera… hurry up…" said Cid quietly to himself. "You're gonna die…"_

" _30 seconds until ignition. Beginning countdown." said the man's voice from the intercom. "Cid! Forget about her. We won't make it in time!"_

 _After Cid heard what the man said to him, he immediately clutched his head with both of his hands tightly and shook it fiercely while tears started glistening between his eyelids. He then glance down at the control panel and saw a huge red button (The Emergency Shut-Down Switch) on it, which shine brightly and stands out against the other buttons._

" _What… what am I… What am I supposed to do…?" Cid asked aloud to himself as he stared at the huge red button, the only button that could cancel the launch and saved Shera's life. But then the launch will be…_

" _15 seconds until ignition. Internal temperature rising." said the man's voice._

" _Oh man, the moon… outer space… my dream…" moaned Cid, trying to avoid thinking about how hot the engine/tank room is and how Shera would slowly be suffocating/burning up in there now._

" _Ignite engine now!" said the man's voice one final time from the intercom._

 _In that split second, Cid finally made up his mind, raised his fist and brought it firmly down on the huge red button. Soon after he pressed the huge red button, a loud, fiery blast erupted from the bottom of the rocket and sending a huge wave of smoke and fire blowing out to the thin forest that surrounds it. The four metal pillars which held the rocket up released their latches, fell back to give the rocket some space to launch itself. The rocket begin to flew itself up and got no more than 15 metres off the ground before a loud droning sound came from the engine, causing the rocket to ceased flying (and the smoke and fire stopped flowing out from below it), floated in the air for a few seconds then it began to fall back down onto the ground with a loud and heavy thud which make the ground and the four pillars around it to shook violently before a loud creaking sound could be heard and the rocket slowly began to tilt over to its left side and came to a sudden halt._

 _A lot of time has pass by since the launch failed and during that time, some of the trees around the rocket were chopped down and houses/shops were built around it. And that's how the town got the name of Rocket Town._

 _XXXX_

"He pushed the Emergency Engine Shut Down switch, aborting the launch, to save my life." Shera told Cloud and his friends/companions as she folded both of her arms tightly against her chest and tears glistening in her eyes as she remembered the event of that day. "After that, the Space Program was cut back and the launch was canceled." A single tear fell from her right eye down her cheek and Shera hastily wipe it away with the back of her right hand. "It's my fault his dream was destroyed… That's why… it's all right. I don't care how hard/harsh the Captain treated me or spoke to me, I'll live my life for him."

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and the others were certainly moved/touched by Shera's tale as they stands in the living room/kitchen with her. Right after she finished telling them her tale, the door to the backyard suddenly burst open, slammed against the wall hard and Cloud and his friends/companions all turned around to see Cid came back into the house. As he entered the living room/kitchen and stared around at them for a few seconds, he then glared at poor Shera again.

"Shera! You still haven't served 'em tea!" Cid yelled angrily at her.

"I… I'm sorry." Shera apologized to Cid before she stood up from the chair she's sitting on, turned and went toward the kitchen where the kettle is done boiling, turned off the fire and began to pour the hot kettle water slowly/carefully into the cups. Soon the living room/kitchen is filled with the smell of piping hot tea and Cloud and his friends/companions didn't say anything as they watched Shera do her kitchen work, all of them remembering the tale which she told them all before Cid came back into the house and could understand why Cid seemed so angry about everything, particularly Shera herself. But it's still a bit too harsh. While Shera was busy with pouring them tea, Cid walked past Cloud and his friends/companions and sat down on one of the chair near the round-shaped table.

"Hurry up and sit down, all of you!" Cid snapped at them. "Or ain't my hospitality good enough for you all!?"

Angelina glared at him and was about to open her mouth to reprimand him for it but Laina swiftly approach her and covered her mouth with her hand before she could say anything. Angelina calmed down, take Laina's hand away from her mouth before she, Cloud and Tifa went and sat down on the 3 other chairs near the table with Cid while Laina, Aeris, Barret, Red XIII and Selwyn had no choice but to stand or leaned their backs against the walls in the house. After a few seconds, Cid began to tapped his fingers on his left knee impatiently.

"They're late…" Cid grumbled to himself. "Where is Rufus…?"

Cloud and his friends/companions didn't say anything to him (while drinking the cups of tea which Shera gave to them) and at the next second, someone knock on the front door to the house before the door opened and a fat, elderly man in a brown business suit came walking into the house. Cloud and his friends/companions instantly recognized the man as Director Palmer, the man in charge of the Shinra Space Program and also the only witness to the President's assassination in his office.

"Hey-HEY! Long time no see!" Palmer greeted Cid in a loud, jovial tone of voice, completely ignoring Shera, Cloud and the others in the house. "So Cid, how ya been?"

Cid stood up from the chair he's sitting on in a single, fluid motion, approach Palmer in excitement, stopped and looked at him briefly up and down. "Well, if it ain't fat man, Palmer." said Cid gruffly to Palmer. "How long were you figurin' on keepin' me waitin'!? So? When's the Space Program gonna start up again?"

"Hey-hey! I don't know." said Palmer with a shake of his head while waving his arms rapidly in front of him before he stopped, turned and pointed outside the front door. "The President's outside, so why don't you go and ask him?"

Cid glared furiously at Palmer. "#$%&! Good for nothing, fat #$%&!" Cid cursed Palmer (which make Angelina, Tifa and Aeris to chuckled under their breaths) before he pushed past Palmer rudely and run out through the front door.

"Don't say "fat!" Palmer yelled at Cid but he's already gone. Palmer then sighed heavily in dismay before he looked around the living room/kitchen, his eyes passing over Cloud and his friends/companions without any recognition at all before finally settling on the hot, steaming kettle on the kitchen counter next to Shera.

"Hey-hey! Tea!" Palmer exclaimed in joy. "Can I have some too? With lotsa sugar and honey and… oh yeah, don't forget the lard!"

Cloud and his friends/companions were sickened by the way Palmer wanted his tea to be and they hurriedly finished their own cups of tea, put them down on the round-shaped table and they began to walked toward the slightly open front door and decided to peek/listen through the slightly open door (while at the same time, Cloud told both Red XIII and Selwyn to head out through the back door of the house to get the others who's still in town and they nodded before turning around and leaving the house through the back door). After Cloud and his friends/companions do so (except Red XIII and Selwyn), they could see Cid standing in the middle of the town and talking to President Rufus, who's standing in front of Cid with only two infantrymen with him.

"What the…!" said Cid in a loud, surprised/angry tone of voice. "You got me excited for nothing!? Then, what'd you come here for?"

"I want to borrow the Tiny Bronco." said Rufus in a calm tone of voice. "We're going after Sephiroth. But it seems like we've been heading in the wrong direction. But now, we think we know where he's headed. But, we have to cross the ocean. That's why we want your plane…"

"#$%&!" Cid cursed furiously while clenching and shaking his fists. "First the Airship, then the Rocket, and now, the Tiny Bronco. Shinra took outer space away from me and now you want to take the sky away from me too!?"

"Oh my…" said Rufus as he shakes his head pitifully at Cid. "You seem to forget that it was because of Shinra company that you were able to fly in the first place."

"What!?" Cid yelled angrily at Rufus.

As Cloud and his friends/companions watched/listens on at both Rufus and Cid's conversation through the slightly open door, they were interrupted by Shera's voice whispering behind them and they all moved back away from the door and turned around to glance at her.

"Uh, excuse me… This way…" Shera said to them in a slightly nervous tone of voice while motioning for Cloud and his friends/companions to followed her back into the living room/kitchen and they do so (and they also noticed that Palmer is no longer in the living room/kitchen). "You all wanted to use the Tiny Bronco, right?" Shera asked them.

"Yes, we do." replied Cloud while the others nodded their heads in agreement.

"I believe that Palmer's going to take it. Why don't you all talk to him?" Shera told them (which make them feel stupid since not one of them bothered to watch Palmer) and they nodded before turning around and quickly head down the short hallway toward the back door and went out. Once they're outside in the backyard where the Tiny Bronco is, they saw Palmer on the plane, messing around with its controls and managed to start it up.

"Hmmm… Why do I have to do this…?" Palmer muttered to himself. "I'm the Head of the Space Program…"

"Hey you!" Laina growled at him. "Get off of that plane!"

Palmer jumped in shocked at Laina's sudden, angry outburst and he fell backward off the now starting-up plane and landed on the ground near her feet before he stands up and turned around to glance at them.

"We'll be takin' that Tiny Bronco." Cloud told Palmer.

"I've seen you all somewhere before…" said Palmer in an unsure tone of voice as he stared at Cloud and his friends/companions for a few seconds before finally recalling where he saw them with a horrified look on his face. "I remember now! The Shinra building! When the President was killed by Sephiroth! Ulp! Se… se… securities!"

Palmer started calling out for securities and when no one came, he instantly reached into his brown business suit and pull out a small, mako gun hidden inside it, pointed it at Cloud and his friends/companions and started firing at them. A series of fire, blizzard and thunder came firing out of his mako gun at Cloud and his friends/companions and they quickly dodged left and right from it before Laina raised her left hand at Palmer's mako gun and disintegrate it into dust. After Laina disintegrate Palmer's mako gun, both Cloud and Angelina swiftly charge toward Palmer and knocked him out cold with their Buster sword and naginata. After they got rid of Palmer and turned to glance at the Tiny Bronco plane, they all yelped and ducked to the ground when the left wing of the plane suddenly swung at them. They looked up at the plane and saw that the two propellers of the plane were now spinning wildly, about to get off the ground.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa, Aeris and Barret quickly get up from the ground and climbed up onto the plane. After they all got onto the plane and Tifa looked down at the controls of the plane, she saw that it's too complicated for her to operate and to stopped it.

"I don't know how to stop it, everyone!" Tifa yelled to Cloud over the loud, spinning sound of the propellers.

"It's gonna take off!" yelled Angelina.

"Forget the controls, Tifa!" Cloud yelled back to her before glancing at the others. "Everyone, brace yourselves!"

Angelina, Laina, Tifa, Aeris and Barret nodded to Cloud before they all braced themselves down on the left and right wings of the plane as it slowly rose up off the ground, pulling itself up and the 6 passengers on it away from Cid's house. The plane turned to its left, flew up and around the tilting rocket and headed down and back to Rocket Town, toward where Cid, Rufus and his 2 infantrymen were standing (and staring up at them with surprised looks on their faces). The plane swooped down on Rufus (who quickly ducked), Cid (who quickly chased after the plane and Laina use her "Telekinesis" to floated him up to the plane with them) and the two infantrymen (who opened fire at the plane and at them with their assault rifles and managed to hit the tail end of the plane, causing it to dropped rapidly from the air).

"Shit! The tail's been hit!" yelled Cid to Cloud and the others as he looked back at the tail of the plane (which is smoking now).

"Emergency landing…" Cloud told the others with him.

"This's gonna be a big splash!" Cid warned them all. "All of you, hold on to your drawers and don't piss in 'em!"

The plane's engine sputter some more before it dropped itself another few metres out of the air, heading straight down toward the ocean water and finally landed in the water with a big splash, completely drenching Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa, Aeris, Barret and Cid (and putting out the smoke from the plane's tail). Luckily for them, the plane stayed floated on the surface of the water and it's engine is still chugging which means that the plane is still usable, but as a boat now instead of a plane.

"She won't fly anymore." said Cid in a disappointed tone of voice as he check the tail end of the plane.

"Can't we use it as a boat?" Cloud asked Cid.

"#$%&! Do whatever you want!" Cid cursed back at Cloud.

"So, what are you going to do now, Cid?" Angelina asked Cid.

"Dunno. I'm history with the Shinra and I've given up on the town." replied Cid.

"What about your wife?" Cloud asked him. "What about Shera?"

"Wife?" said Cid as he try to choke back a laugh. "Don't make me laugh! Just thinkin' 'bout marryin' her gives me the chills. What about you guys? What are you all going to do now?" Cid asked them.

"We're all going after a man named Sephiroth." Cloud told Cid. "We'll also have to get Rufus of the Shinra someday too."

Cid turned around and stared at Cloud, unsure whether he's being serious or not. "I don't know about any of that, but…" said Cid as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest in deep pondering for a while before he opened his eyes. "What the hell!? Sign me up!"

"How about it, everyone?" Cloud asked the others as he glance left and right at them.

"We don't mind, Cloud." said both Angelina and Tifa.

"If he wanted to then let him do so, Cloud." said Laina.

Both Barret and Aeris nodded to Cloud and didn't say anything.

"Glad to be aboard, numbskulls and wenches!" Cid said to them with a huge smirk on his face.

"Numbskulls and wenches…?" said Cloud as he tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah. Any man or woman stupid enough to go up against Shinra nowadays, has gotta be a numbskulls and wenches! I like it!" said Cid. "So, where we headed now? Rufus told me that he's going after Sephiroth who's heading towards the "Temple of the Ancients"."

"Really!?" exclaimed both Cloud and Angelina at the same time. "… Where is it? This "Temple of the Ancients"?"

"Dunno." replied Cid with a shake of his head. "That numbskull kid was tellin' me that he was headin' "the wrong direction"… so maybe it's off this way?"

"Hmmm… For now, let's just head back to land and get some information." Cloud suggested to the others. "Temple of the Ancients, that name bothers me."

Angelina, Laina, Tifa, Aeris, Barret and Cid nodded to him before Cid turned the plane back around to Rocket Town (after Laina told him that some of their friends were still there and they need to get them) before they leave for their next destination.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41: Heading to Wutai**

A whole hour after Cid drove/sailed the Tiny Bronco plane across the shallow part of the ocean toward the western continent with Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Aeris and Barret sitting on the left and right wings of the plane (with the rest of their friends/companions sitting on a boat behind them after they went back to Rocket Town for them, grab a boat then tied the boat on the tail end of the Tiny Bronco with a sturdy rope for them) away from Rocket Town, Cid slowed then stopped the plane near the beach of the western continent after he drove/sailed the plane near it and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Aeris, Barret and Cid soon got off the plane, dragged/pulled the plane up to the sandy beach before they dragged/pulled the boat up to the beach near the plane as well (with Kunsel, Selwyn and the others help after they got off the boat), so that the ocean tide won't dragged them both out to the ocean after they dragged/pulled them onto the beach.

After Cloud and his friends/companions were done dragging both the plane and the boat up to the beach then turned and looked around the beach, they soon noticed an entrance to a steep and rocky-looking path which leads up to the cliff/mountain near the beach and they walked away from the beach toward it. A few minutes after they all walked up the steep, rocky-looking path in a single file (with Cloud, Kunsel and Barret taking the lead in front of the others while Cait Sith, Nina and Yuffie lagged behind them), they all reached the top of the cliff/mountain, stop in their tracks to take a look around the top of the cliff/mountain and savored the cool breeze blowing at them from the wind.

"Wait, wait, wait, wa-it!" Yuffie's voice suddenly called out to them from behind and they all turned their heads to look behind them and saw Yuffie running swiftly up the steep, rocky path past all of them before she jumped, landed in front of them and spread both of her arms out, preventing them from taking a step further with a determined look on her face.

"What!?" said Aeris as she stared at Yuffie with a surprised look on her face. "What happened, all of a sudden?"

"I know this area pretty well." Yuffie told them while she raised her right hand to point a finger behind her, where Cloud and his friends/companions could see an old wooden bridge crossing the gap from the cliff/mountain they're currently standing to the other side. "It gets pretty tough past here. Better get ready…"

"Whatever do you mean by that?" said Kunsel as he looked at Yuffie (while Cloud and the others slowly looked at each other with disbelief on their faces before they looked back at Yuffie). "I don't see any immediate danger around."

"… Hmmm… Something's fishy here…" said Laina as she narrowed her eyes at Yuffie and crossed her arms. "You're not planning to do something sneaky to us again, are you?"

"N-No, of course not!" Yuffie protested while shaking her head furiously. "It's REALLY tough…"

"There they are, catch'em!" a male voice suddenly yelled out which cuts off Yuffie's words and Cloud and his friends/companions looked up and away from Yuffie and they saw a group of Shinra infantrymen (about 7 or 8 of them) running across the old wooden bridge in front of them and Yuffie and they swiftly surrounded Yuffie, Cloud and the others with their assault rifles raised and pointed at them before Cloud and his friends/companions could do anything.

"Shinra!?" exclaimed both Angelina and Tifa at the same time.

"Hey, that's not them!" said the first infantryman to his fellow infantrymen when he glance at Cloud and his friends/companions. "These are the other guys from before!"

While they were surrounded by Shinra infantrymen, Laina glance at Yuffie and saw that her face has turned completely pale and anxious-looking, as though she had been caught red-handed and Laina knew that she's was right about Yuffie. "I knew it, Yuffie. You were planning to do something sneaky to us!"

"No, I didn't know!" Yuffie continue her protesting, desperate to prove her innocence to Laina and the others. "I have nothing to do with this one!" She immediately covered her mouth with her hands, realizing that she had just make a fatal mistake by saying it out but much too late when Cloud and his friends/companions all heard what she just said and they glance at her with accusing looks on their faces.

"This one?" said Selwyn. "What do you mean by 'THIS one'?"

"So Laina was right!" said Aeris. "You WERE up to something bad!"

"No, ummm, uh…" stammered Yuffie anxiously then decided to not say anymore words to them.

"What should we do now!?" asked the second infantryman to the first infantryman next to him as they continue staring at Cloud and his friends/companions.

"Uh… Get them!" replied the first infantryman to the second infantryman. "Let's grab them all and asked questions later!"

The group of infantrymen immediately use their assault rifles to opened fire on Cloud and his friends/companions (who quickly dodged left and right away from the bullets) before they charge toward them and Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel and Selwyn pull out their swords, naginata and spear and they swiftly knocked out all the infantrymen on their heads with their weapons hard and watched as all of the infantrymen fell face-down onto the cliff/mountain ground before they put their weapons back behind them (while unaware that Yuffie had swiftly, sneakily and quietly took all of their materia during the fight and flee away from them and the infantrymen).

"What's going on!?" demanded Nina to Cloud and the others after they knocked out all the infantrymen.

"Everyone, check all your weapons and pockets now!" Laina quickly told them after she check the materia slot hole on her Geneva saber and her long coat pockets and realised that all of her materia were gone. Immediately everyone heeded her words and check their weapons and pockets and realised that all of their materia were gone as well.

"Hey… where's Yuffie…?" said Tifa suddenly to Cloud and the others and they immediately look around the cliff/mountain and didn't see any sign/shadow of Yuffie anywhere.

"That little thieving BRAT!" Barret yelled out in anger while raising and waving his arms furiously above his head. "When I get my hands on her…"

"I'm so- MAD!" said Aeris aloud in an angry tone of voice.

"I agreed with you two." said Kunsel with an annoyed/angry look on his face.

"She was probably eyeing all our materia ever since we met her in the forest back then." said Red XIII as he raised his head and to sniff the air for her scent and found it. "I found her scent, everyone. She's heading North." Red XIII told them.

"Thank you, Red XIII." said Angelina with a nod of her head to him before she glance at Cloud and the others. "Come on, let's all hurry after her and get all our materia back!"

Cloud nodded to her before he (and the others with him) all turned around and run across the old wooden bridge to the North in pursuit of Yuffie, determined to get all their materia back from her, which was an important part of their magic attacks/equipments. After they crossed the old wooden bridge to the other side of the cliff/mountain, run across another steep, rocky-looking path and crossed over another old wooden bridge (and fight off some Edgeheads, Tail Vaults, Razor Weeds, Bizarre bugs and Thunderbirds monsters along the way) to yet another side of the cliff/mountain and walked across it before they saw another steep, rocky-looking path which leads from the cliff/mountain down to the grassy plains below and they all went down the path. After they all reached the bottom of the steep, rocky-looking path and stepped onto the grassy plains (some of them were grateful to no longer be walking on the rocky cliff/mountains, like Cait Sith and Nina), Cloud then look at the grassy plains around him and soon noticed a village nearby some huge stone cliffs not too far from them to their right. Cloud then told the others about the village he had just spotted and they quickly make their way toward it, all of them thinking (and hoping) that Yuffie's in that village.

When Cloud and his friends/companions arrived and stepped through the entrance of the village named Wutai and look around the place for Yuffie, they could tell right away that it was a village built for people skilled in the arts of ninjutsu. The houses/shops were quite tranquil, beautiful, large and hut-like, built mainly from sturdy-looking woods which was painted later with shades of red, grey, yellow and black. The doors of all the houses/shops were also made of the same sturdy woods which the Wutai people use to built up their houses/shops with thin but sturdy-looking white-coloured papers in place of windows while every roofs of the houses/shops were black in colour and were triangular-shaped to a certain point. A long stream filled with crystal clear blue water flowed all the way in the middle of the village with flat circular green leaves and white lilies floated on the surface of the stream.

As for the villagers who wandered around the village, Cloud and his friends/companions could see that they were all dressed in clothing similar to what Yuffie is wearing, which is tight and free of restrictions so they could grab their shuriken or sword weapons easily at the first sign of enemy or hostility. As they continue to look around the beautiful Wutai village, they soon noticed Yuffie, who's standing with her back to a shop (that had a sign with the words "Weapon Store" written on it at the front of the shop) at the other side of the wooden bridge over the flowing stream to their left and she noticed them all as well.

"Hey!" Yuffie called out to them while she waved both of her hands mockingly above her head at them (which she holds 2 materia in her two waving hands) with a sneaky grin on her face before she lowered her hands, put the 2 materia into her pockets, turned to her right and flee away from them and the Weapon Store.

Cloud and his friends/companions quickly run across the bridge toward the Weapon Store in pursuit of Yuffie (while the wandering Wutai villagers make no move to help them out, merely watched as Cloud and his friends/companions chased after Yuffie) and lost sight of Yuffie when she crossed over a second bridge which connects the Weapon Store and the Turtle Paradise diner. Cloud then opened the wooden doors to the Turtle Paradise and stormed into the diner with the others following behind him and they all stopped in their tracks when their eyes landed on a particular group of people in dark suits sitting at a semi-large square table near the wooden doors. They were eating and drinking happily amongst themselves until Elena turned her head to her right and her eyes landed on Cloud and his friends/companions after they came into the diner and she narrowed her eyes at them.

"Yy, you guys!? How did all of you get here…?" Elena demanded angrily to Cloud and his friends/companions (which make the other Turks members to ceased their eating and drinking and they all turned their heads to glance at Cloud and his friends/companions too) before she shook her head fiercely and got out of her chair to faced them. "Never mind that. I guess it's fate that brought us together. Prepare to die, all of you!"

Elena raised both of her tightly clenched fists in preparation to take them all on and both Cloud and Angelina pull out their sword and naginata and Tifa raised her clenched fists (just like Elena) while Laina rolled her eyes at Elena and the others just stared at Elena and her fellow Turks in silence (wondering why they haven't get up from the table yet).

"… Elena, you talk too much sometimes." said Reno with a small sigh to Elena.

"Ww, what?" said Elena as she turned to glance at Reno with a surprised look on her face.

"What are we doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?" Reno asked Elena as he took another bite of the butter prawn from his plate of food.

"We're all taking our vacation and resting up from our Turks work." replied Elena with a slightly confused look on her face now.

"That's right, Elena." said Helen as she took a bite of her udon noodles and swallow it.

"And if you continue what you're currently doing, you're going to ruin our vacation, Elena." said Mark as he took a bite of his tamago.

"B, but…" Elena began saying.

"… Even the booze which we're now drinking began to taste bad now." said Rude as he look down at the cup of booze he's holding in his right hand with a scowl look on his face and both Fiona and Neal nodded their heads in agreement with Rude while both Crisis and Phemie just ate their foods in silence.

Elena glance at each of her fellow Turks members, unable to believe that they would actually ignored Cloud and his friends/companions (who had surprised looks on their faces except for Laina, Kunsel and Vincent) when they're this close to them. "…I'm sorry…" Elena apologized to them in a small voice before she turned away from her fellow Turks members to glared at Cloud and his friends/companions. "Hmmm, you all got lucky this time! Now get out of my sight! I won't be so lenient to you all the next time we meet."

Cloud, Angelina and Tifa relaxed their guards, lowered their fists and put their weapons back behind them and just as they turned and were about to leave the diner with the others, Phemie's voice suddenly called out to Laina, who heard it and stopped in her tracks.

"…I'm glad to see you again after we last met back on the dirt path nearby Gongaga village, sister." said Phemie.

"… Yeah, same goes for me, Phemie." replied Laina without looking back at her and soon she left the diner with Cloud and the others (who gave her sympathetic looks), since it's clear to them that Yuffie isn't inside the Turtle Paradise diner.

After Cloud and his friends/companions left the Turtle Paradise diner, they continue their pursuit of Yuffie as they walked across another wooden bridge at the back of the Turtle Paradise diner and went into an Item/Materia shop. Cloud and his friends/companions then look around at all the corners of the shop (while the owner of the shop watched them warily behind the counter) and browse through the items until Carter found a treasure chest hidden among the items and he open it to see a MP Absorb blue materia inside. But before he could take it, Yuffie suddenly dropped down from the ceiling of the shop and swiftly took the materia from the treasure chest before she bolted past all of them out of the Item/Materia shop.

Cloud and his friends/companions quickly left the Item/Materia shop to chased after her and they saw her run straight into a house at the other side of the bridge to the left of the Weapon shop and they run into the house and saw an old man (who ignored them) sitting before a huge, black pot in the middle of the room while a small boy (probably his grandson) stand next to the old man (who scowled angrily at them).

"Oh no! More weirdos!" exclaimed the boy in a loud voice as he scowled at Cloud and his friends/companions before he paused and stared more closely at them. "No, this aren't like the one from a while ago, but these ones look weird too!"

Cloud and his friends/companions decided to ignored the boy and his grandfather to look around the room until their eyes landed on the foldable paper curtain standing in the left corner of the room. Cloud glance at Tifa and tilted his head to the foldable paper curtain, who nodded before she approach the foldable paper curtain (with Barret, Cid and Carter behind her), pulled it away and saw Yuffie crouching on the ground with her head lowered onto her knees and her hands holding both sides of her head. Slowly Yuffie lifted her head to glance up at the angry looks on Tifa, Barret, Cid and Carter and she quickly stood up and bolted out of the house before they could grab hold of her again.

"Goddammit!" said Barret angrily. "She got away from us again!"

"She's sneaky and stealthy, I'll give her that much." said Vincent.

Cloud and his friends/companions quickly turned around and left the house, search all over the village for Yuffie and they couldn't find/see any sign of her anywhere again. Red XIII then sniffed the air and the ground for her scent, found it and he quickly told Cloud and the others about it before he tilted his head toward a large stone barrel on the right side of the front door of Turtle Paradise diner. Cloud and the others nodded to Red XIII before they crossed the bridge, walked past the Weapon shop and crossed over the second bridge until they reached the large stone barrel where Yuffie is hiding, unaware that they've found her out. Cloud then signalled to Laina to stay near the large stone barrel to use her "Telekinesis" to destroy the large stone barrel (which will make Yuffie came out) and the others to guard the two bridges which leads to the Weapon and the Item/Materia to prevent her from running off and they all nodded before they all got into position.

After they all got into position, Laina raised her left hand at the large stone barrel and it began shaking before breaking apart into tiny pieces, sending Yuffie falling to the floor before Cloud, Angelina and Laina with a loud yelp. She immediately stood up, run past Cloud, Angelina and Laina toward the bridge toward the Weapon shop and saw that it's blocked by Kunsel, Tifa, Aeris, Red XIII and Vincent. Seeing that there was no way she could get past them, Yuffie quickly turned the other way toward the bridge toward the Item/Materia shop and saw that it got blocked off by Barret, Selwyn, Cid, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter as well. Yuffie quickly turned around again to head into the Turtle Paradise diner and stopped when she saw Cloud, Angelina and Laina standing behind her, blocking her way into the diner. She turned away from them and was about to run but remembered that all of her exits were blocked off and that she's completely trapped by them and she slowly lowered and shook her head in dismay.

"We got you cornered now, you little thief." said Cid.

"You can't get away, Yuffie." said Cloud sternly.

"Now return all our materia to us." said Laina, crossing her arms.

Yuffie lifted her head and saw that they're now surrounding her. "O…ok," said Yuffie timidly to them. "I know… I was wrong… You all win. I'll give you back all your materia…"

Cloud then motioned for her to move and Yuffie complied, walking slowly past Kunsel and Vincent toward the bridge past the Weapon shop with everyone following very closely behind her in case she decided to bolt away from them again. While Yuffie is leading Cloud and his friends/companions to another part of Wutai village where she stashed all their materia (and which they didn't venture into), a group of Shinra infantrymen (about 5 or 6) came running down a dirt path from the far west of the village (where the pagoda tower and the temple of Wutai is located) before they run across the bridge toward the Turtle Paradise diner, opened the door and went inside.

XXXX

"So our reports were right!" said the first infantryman after he and his fellow infantrymen run into the diner and stop near the table where all the Turks were. "They ARE all here on vacation! We've finally found them! Get the Turks here for back-up!"

The group of infantrymen waited for all the Turks members to stand up and make a move right away and the infantrymen were surprised when none of the Turks members moved an inch (except for Elena, who swiftly stood up to glance at the infantrymen).

"… What a drag." grumbled Reno as he pushed his empty glass of booze away.

"Ww, what was that…?" said the first infantryman.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Brian. "All of us are off duty now and we can't just run off to save your butts."

"We know that all of you are off duty now, but…" said the second infantryman.

"If all of you knew that, then stop bothering us already!" Reno snapped angrily before he turned to scowled darkly at them. "Lookin' at you is makin' me sober."

"I agreed with Reno." said Mark with a nod of her head.

"But you all have orders from Shinra headquarters to look for him too!" the third infantryman protested to the Turks members as he glance at each of them in disbelief (same goes for Elena) before he frowned and clench his fists at them.

"All right, that's it!" the first infantryman yelled angrily at them. "We'll get him ourselves without any help from the Turks, just you all wait and see!"

"And don't think that headquarters isn't going to hear about this!" the second infantryman told them in an angry tone of voice before he and his fellow infantrymen turned away from the Turks and stormed out of the diner. Reno shrugged his shoulder at their departure and turned back to talk to Neal.

"Everyone, do you all really think that was such a good idea!?" Elena demanded angrily to her fellow Turks as she turned to glared at them. "I mean is that the way any professional, any Turks would act!?"

"Elena," Reno began saying to Elena in a calming tone of voice and it make her even more mad at him. "Don't misunderstand us. A pro isn't someone who sacrifices him or herself for his or her job. That's just for fools."

"What about the rest of you…?" said Elena as she glance away from Reno to the others, hoping that at least some of them would see some sense. But to her dismay/disappointment, they didn't say anything to her.

"Well, I don't buy that! Goodbye, all of you!" Elena snapped angrily at them before she turned away from them and stormed out of the diner. After she stepped out, Rude turned his head to glance at the front door which Elena just went through.

"…" muttered Rude silently.

"Relax, Rude." said Reno in a reassuring tone of voice to Rude. "She's a child no more. Let her have her own way now…"

"Reno's right, Rude." said Crisis with a nod of his head before he resumed eating his Beef ramen.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42: Second meeting with Don Corneo and finally getting their materia back**

Yuffie lead Cloud and his friends/companions into a huge empty house (next to the small house which belongs to the elderly man and his grandson) which is close to the entrance of Wutai village and now she's standing silently in the middle of the spacious-looking living room with her head lowered to stared at the floor, unable to bring herself to glance up and see the looks of anger, impatience and frustration on each of everyone's faces. She knew that there's no possible way to talk herself out of it and that the more she make them wait, the more angry/impatient they would get.

"Well, what are you waiting for, you little brat?" Barret snapped impatiently at Yuffie.

"I know, the materia, right?" said Yuffie in a slightly trembling tone of voice. "I stored all of them in a very safe place… Follow me."

Yuffie told them before she turned and walked into an open side-door to the left corner of the living room and went down the stairs. Cloud and his friends/companions watched as Yuffie went through the side-door and went down the stairs before Cloud told the others to stay in the living room while he, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris followed after her and they all nodded to him and wait. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris then went through the side-door, walked down the stairs and they went into a basement under the house (which looked like some sort of storeroom for weapons with a control panel against the wall in front of them with a huge screen above it). After Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris stepped into the basement, they turned to look at Yuffie (who's standing in the middle of the room with her head lowered), expecting her to return all their materia back to them, instead she began talking to them.

"… I've been hearing that ever since I was little." said Yuffie in a sad/trembling tone of voice. "Before I was born, Wutai village was a lot more crowded and more important…" Yuffie slowly lifted her head to glance at Angelina, Tifa and Aeris before she turned, walked past Cloud toward the right corner of the basement room, stop and look at the wall. "The 4 of you and the others standing above in the living room saw what it looks like now, right?... JUST a resort town/village… After we lost the war against Shinra, we got peace, but with that, we lost something else as well. Now look at Wutai…" Yuffie turned, walked away from the wall and stop near the opened basement door, her back to them. "That's why… if I had lots of materia, I could…"

Yuffie lapsed into silence and she began to shed silent tears. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris didn't say anything after they all heard Yuffie's sad tale and felt sad/sympathetic to her, but not sad/sympathetic enough to let her keep their materia, no matter what her cause/reason is.

Cloud looked at Angelina, Tifa and Aeris, seeing the nods of agreement from the 3 of them and he nodded back to them before he approach Yuffie and stop next to her right. "Listen, Yuffie." said Cloud in a stern/uncaring tone of voice to her. "I don't care about the history of Wutai or your feelings. You've got all our materia and we want them back… now. If you give them back to us, we'll drop the whole "stealing" thing."

"I know, I know that…" said Yuffie sadly, trying to hold back her tears. "That… sniff… switch…" Yuffie mumbled quietly to Cloud. "The lever on the left… materia's… sniff, hic… all in there."

Cloud nodded gratefully to Yuffie before he turned around, walked past Angelina, Tifa and Aeris (who turned around and glance at him) toward the control panel and he look down at it. Cloud saw that the control panel was just a simple mechanism with only 2 levers on it and his right hand reached out for the right lever, gripped and pulled it down with a gentle click and immediately Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris heard the sound of a much larger click followed by a loud grating sound coming from above them and before Angelina, Tifa and Aeris could say or do anything, a large, square and gray-coloured cage suddenly dropped down from the ceiling and slam onto the ground around where the 3 women were standing, completely sealing them in the cage.

"Eyaaaaaah!" Both Tifa and Aeris cried out in surprised.

"Hey, what's the meaning of this, Yuffie?" snarled Angelina as she turned around to glared at Yuffie through the metal bars of the cage.

"Ha ha-!" Yuffie laughed before she turned around to glance at Angelina, Tifa and Aeris trapped inside the cage, wipe her fake tears away from her eyes, ceased her laughing and smile happily at the angry/surprised expressions on their faces. "You 4 shouldn't have trust anyone that easily!" Yuffie told them. "All your Materia's are mine! Tough!"

Yuffie then turned around, run through the basement door and was running halfway up the stairs when she suddenly stopped running, thought about something with a sneaky smile on her face before turning around to run back into the basement room to glance at them again. "You all want your materia back? Then go and find it yourselves!" Yuffie snapped at them, which make them more angry at her. "And when all of you are looking for the materia, remember that you all gotta steel it. Heh heh… steel… steel! Get it? C ya, losers!"

Yuffie waved mockingly at the 4 of them before she turned around, leave the basement room and run up the stairs again, back into the living room and Cloud (who quickly gripped and pulled the left lever down to free Angelina, Tifa and Aeris from the huge metal cage), Angelina, Tifa and Aeris (who got free from the huge metal cage and watched as the cage went back up to the ceiling) immediately heard the angry voices of their other friends upstairs in the living room as they try to catch Yuffie to no avail and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris quickly left the basement room, went up the stairs, joined up with Laina, Barret and the others (who told Cloud and the 3 women that Yuffie threw several smoke balls at them to create smoke to temporarily block their sights for her to flee) before they quickly leave the huge house in pursuit of Yuffie, who had tricked all of them once again.

After Cloud and his friends/companions leave the house, stopped and look around the village for Yuffie, they soon spotted her catching her breath outside of the Turtle Paradise diner's front door. The second they spotted her, she lifted her head, spotted them looking right at her and she quickly run off across the bridge away from the diner, turned to her left past the Item/Materia shop and down a dirt path. Cloud and his friends/companions quickly run after her, determined to not let her out of their sight again, not even for a second.

Yuffie panted hard as she keep on running, trying to pull away from Cloud and his friends/companions (who were slowly gaining behind her) and she run straight up the stairs through another entrance into the southernmost part of Wutai village, a wide open area with only a five-storey blackish/red-coloured pagoda that loomed like a watchtower over the entire village with a huge temple with a hanging bell and a long, sturdy-looking wood tied onto the ceiling next to the bell and another huge house opposite the temple. Yuffie grinned to herself, run straight toward the temple, pulled the wood back from the bell, let it go for it to bang on the bell (to ring it) and she quickly leapt over the temple's left outer wall to where a part of the temple wall descend into the ground to reveal a small hidden wooden door, opened it and run through the door and closed it firmly behind her.

Cloud and his friends/companions got into the southernmost part of the village just as they saw Yuffie run through the small wooden door at the temple's left outer wall before part of the left wall rose up from the ground and sealed off the small wooden door from them. They then quickly head into the temple to do what she do earlier to the bell, pull the wood back then let it go for it to bang on the bell and went through the door after the temple wall descend into the ground.

Cloud and his friends/companions walked down a small set of staircase until they reached the bottom of the stairs where they could see light coming from a half open wooden door in front of them and Cloud opened the door, stepped through the opened door into another room with his friends/companions and they all saw a large and muscular man wearing a black uniform from his head down to his feet is holding Yuffie above his head, who's struggling fiercely to break herself away from the unknown's man tight grip on her, to no avail.

"Let me go! I SAID let ME GO!" Yuffie yelled/protested loudly at the unknown man holding her. "Hey! Who do you think I… OW!" Yuffie gasped in pain when the unknown man suddenly tighten his grip on her. "What're you doin'…? Jerk!"

Cloud and his friends/companions stared at the unknown man who had Yuffie in his tight grips despite her struggling until the man suddenly took a few steps to the left with Yuffie to reveal another unfortunately familiar man (who had his back to them) standing behind the unknown man.

"You…!" said Cloud as he narrowed his eyes at the man which he had hoped that he, Angelina (who also narrowed her eyes at the man), Tifa and Aeris (who groaned in dismay) never to see again while the others look at them and at the man in confusion.

"…ho…ho…" said the man in cheerful tone of voice before he turned around, lifted his head to glance at Cloud and his friends/companions and smiled at them. "Hohi, hohi! Hohihi!"

"Corneo!?" exclaimed Cloud in an angry tone of voice to Corneo.

"Hohi!" said Corneo cheerfully as he raised both of his arms near his head. "I've finally got myself a new chicky! 2 for 1, in fact! Hohi, hohi!"

"Two!?" said Cloud.

"What do you mean by 2?" said Angelina angrily to Corneo since she could only see Yuffie (who's still struggling to break herself free from the man's grip). Then she, Cloud and the others all looked toward the stairs against the wall at the right corner behind Corneo, the man and Yuffie and saw another black-uniformed muscular man holding another young woman tightly in his arms above his head. They gasped when they recognized the second woman as Elena, one of the members of the Turks.

"H…hey! Let go of me!" Elena yelled fiercely at the second man while she struggled against the man tight grip on her like Yuffie did to the other man a few seconds ago, but to no avail as well. "You're gonna regret this!"

"Hohi, hohi! Hohihi!" Corneo snorted with absolute excitement, grinning happily and almost jumping at the thrill of having caught 2 young ladies at one go (while completely unaware that one of them was a Turk member) before he gave a little goodbye wave to Cloud and his friends/companions, turned around and run up the stairs with his two black-uniformed men and the two struggling girls they're holding, away from Cloud and his friends/companions. Cloud and his friends/companions quickly run up the stairs after Corneo, his two black-uniformed men and both Yuffie and Elena and into a room (where they saw a huge golden statue stand against the wall to their left out of the corner of their eyes), saw Corneo rapidly skidded to a halt in front of them and they soon saw the reason why he suddenly stop running, for standing in front of him was a group of Shinra infantrymen.

"There he is! It's Corneo! Don't let him get away!" barked the first infantryman to his fellow infantrymen as he glared at Corneo. Corneo looked around the room worriedly/hurriedly (and look back and forth at Cloud and his friends/companions behind him and at the group of infantrymen in front of him), trying to find a way out of this mess when he suddenly had a brilliant idea in his mind and the worry look on his face abruptly change into a smirking look.

"Attaaaack!" the first infantryman yelled to his fellow infantryman before he and his fellow infantrymen charge toward Corneo with their assault rifles raised and pointed at him. Unfortunately, he jumped to his left, out of the charging way of the group of infantrymen and quickly flee from them and Cloud and his friends/companions without a backward glance. The group of infantrymen collided with Cloud and his friends/companions in an instant and they all fell into a big pile of heap on the floor.

Cloud and his friends/companions quickly knocked out the group of infantrymen who collided with them before they all stood up and run out of the room, leaving the group of unconscious (and groaning in pain) infantrymen behind, run down a long hallway inside a huge house past several closed rooms, turned to their left down another shorter hallway, went through an opened door and found themselves outside of the house (and noticed that it's the same house which is opposite the temple).

Right after Cloud and his friends/companions stepped out of the house, they saw Reno, Rude, Crisis and Phemie running past them and stopped in their tracks near the southern entrance at the top of the stairs leading down to the northern part of the village. Barret, Tifa, Red XIII, Selwyn and Cid narrowed their eyes at the 4 Turks and just as they were about to raised their weapons and claws to attack them, Cloud, Angelina and Laina stepped in front of them and shook their heads at Barret, Tifa, Red XIII, Selwyn and Cid before the 3 of them turned around to glance at the 4 Turks standing near the stairs.

"Hmmm… that Corneo bastard is good at escaping…" said Reno as he crossed his arms irritably with an annoyed (and a little concerned) look on his face.

"… Elena." said Rude in an anxious tone of voice before he lowered his head to look away from Reno and glance down at the ground, his mouth creasing into a frown.

"Don't you worry, Rude." said Phemie in a reassuring tone of voice to Rude as she raised her right hand to pat his shoulder. "We'll get her back from that Corneo soon."

"Phemie's right, Rude. So don't worry about it." said Crisis with a nod of his head to Rude, who lifted his head to glance at both Phemie and Crisis and nodded back to them.

"Let's go, Rude, Crisis and Phemie." said Reno in a cheerful tone of voice to them. "We'll give them a taste of what the Turks can do."

Rude, Crisis and Phemie glance at Reno, nodded to him before the 3 of them run past Reno (and away from Cloud and his friends/companions) through the southern entrance and down the stairs toward the village. Once Rude, Crisis and Phemie are gone, Reno let out a small sigh before he turned around to glance at Cloud and his friends/companions and smirk deviously at them. "… Sounded pretty good." Reno began speaking to them while his left hand itched to bring out his electric metal rod weapon hidden within his black suit blazer to strike down on Cloud or one of his friends/companions standing behind him. "If Elena is in his hands, that's going to make things a little difficult. And uh…"

Cloud and his friends/companions keep their eyes firmly focused on Reno and his twitching left hand near his black suit jacket, although they know that he might not attack them immediately, they still didn't want to take any chances.

"…Ok." said Cloud with a nod of his head to Reno. "Corneo took Yuffie from us."

"Yuffie stole all our materia. And without her, there's no way that we'll be able to get all our materia back." said Angelina.

"… I see. And don't all of you misunderstand." said Reno sternly to them. "We have no intention of joining you guys. But for now, we'll agree to not bother each other. That's all."

"That's fine with us." said Cloud sternly back to Reno. "We've absolutely no intention of cooperating with the Turks either."

Reno smirked at Cloud again, lowered his left hand away from his electric metal rod weapon inside his black suit blazer down to his side and waited for either Cloud or one of his friends/companions to ask him the question they needed.

"Which direction did that Corneo run off to?" Tifa asked Reno.

"Hmmm, nice attitude you got there, girl." replied Reno to Tifa before he turned to look away from them and look out at the Wutai village. "Here's a clue, it's the place that stands out the most."

After Reno told them the clue, he then pull out his electric metal rod from inside his black suit blazer, holding and placing it on his left shoulder before he run down the stairs toward the village, away from the southern part of Wutai and Cloud and his friends/companions. Cloud turned back to his friends/companions and discuss/thought hard with them about the clue which Reno just told them before all of them look down at the village at its Turtle Paradise diner, its Weapons shop and the huge Wutai house (which Yuffie brought them into before she pull a trick on them and run off) next to a small house belonging to an old man and his grandson then their gazes slowly turned away from the 2 houses, the Weapons shop and the Turtle Paradise diner toward the east of the village where the Item/Materia shop is and they could barely see a rocky, dirt path to the right side of the Item/Materia shop which leads up to a huge, rocky cliff/mountain nearby the village and got their answer to Reno's clue.

Without wasting another second, Cloud asked Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Aeris to come with him and told the others to stay behind (which make them sigh and nodded in dismay) before he, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Aeris run down the stairs, reached the bottom then run down the dirt path toward the Item/Materia shop, turned to their left and run down the rocky, dirt path until they arrived before rocky entrance with the name "Da Chao" carved onto the rocky cliff wall in front of them (and they saw Reno, Rude, Crisis and Phemie waiting somewhat impatiently for them near the rocky entrance, without the rest of their fellow Turks).

"You guys are finally here." said Reno (with a slightly surprised look in his eyes since he initially thought that they wouldn't be able to figure out his vague riddle which he told them) to Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Aeris as they approached him, Rude, Crisis and Phemie (who gave a small smile to Laina, who smiled back). "We're gonna split off into 2 groups. You 5 do whatever you want, but don't endanger Elena." Reno told them firmly.

"We won't." said Angelina. "And you guys don't endanger Yuffie either. We still need her."

"Don't you worry." replied Reno to Angelina. "We won't do anything to that Yuffie girl. For now…" Reno added the last 2 words with a sneer to her before he, Rude, Crisis and Phemie turned and run up the cliff/mountain path into the rocky depths of Da Chao, with Cloud, Angelina (who scowl at Reno's attitude to her), Tifa, Laina and Aeris running up the cliff/mountain path behind them. After a few minutes of them running up the cliff/mountain path of Da Chao before they all split up and run into many different winding rocky paths in their search/pursuit for Yuffie, Elena and Corneo (and during those few minutes, the rocky paths which they run into overlapped with each other and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Aeris bump into Reno, Rude, Crisis and Phemie a few times before resuming their search), Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Aeris finally found and saw where Yuffie, Elena and Corneo is and they quickly approach them.

XXXX

"LET… ME… GO!" Yuffie yelled down at Corneo (who's standing on the stone palm of Da Chao in front of both her and Elena with a huge grin on his face as he glance up at them) as she struggled to break free from the tight ropes that tied both her and Elena's spread-out arms (who remain calm and didn't struggle against her tied-up arms like Yuffie did) over the closed eyes of the gigantic face statue of Da Chao.

"Hmmm! Delicious… scrumptious!" exclaimed Corneo in a gleeful tone of voice while he clapped his hands together in excitement. "I think I've just found myself a new HOBBY! Which shall it be? Hmmm…Hmmm…" Corneo turned his head to look up at Elena. "Should I go… with HER?"

"He… hey, I'm one of the Turks!" Elena protested fiercely at Corneo when she realised what Corneo is about to do to her with a disgusted/sick look on her face. "Don't think that you can get away with this!?"

Corneo completely ignored what Elena just say to him (or too deep in his sick delusional mind that he didn't hear what she says), look away from Elena to look back at Yuffie. "Or… maybe… HER?"

"Oh GAWD!" Yuffie cursed loudly as she narrowed her eyes angrily at Corneo and increase her struggles against the tight ropes on her arms, trying to break herself free. "If I knew earlier that something like this was gonna happen to me, I would've taken rope escape lessons more seriously!"

While both Elena and Yuffie were struggling against their rope bindings on their arms, Corneo continue to glance from one struggling girl to another before he turned around to look away from the both of them, thinking about which of the 2 girls he wanted to untie and bring with him and come to a decision. "Hmmm! I've made my choice!" Corneo announced to both Elena and Yuffie in a slightly loud voice. "My companion for the night will be…" he lapsed into silence for a few seconds before turning around and pointing a finger at Yuffie. "…the cheerful one!"

"GROSS-NESS!" said Yuffie to Corneo in a disgusted tone of voice while she glared down at him and wishing that she could wipe that sickening smile of his off of his face. "Don't you mess with me, old man! You don't even have any Materia!"

"Oooooh!" said Corneo in a ecstatic tone of voice. "And she's very saucy, too! Wheee! Wheee!"

"All right, that's it for you!" said a familiar male voice to Corneo, causing the ecstatic smile on Corneo's face to disappear and he quickly turned to his left to glance at the rocky path in front of him with a look of fear/panic in his eyes. "Hee-haw. What… what's goin' on!?" Corneo demanded. "Who's there?"

Corneo soon got his answer when he saw Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Aeris came running down the arm of Da Chao toward him, quickly took a few steps backward until he stop at the very edge of the palm of Da Chao.

"Oh man! Cloud, Angelina, you guys…!" Yuffie called out to them desperately, feeling immensely relieved to see the spiky, blonde-haired ex-SOLDIER guy and some of his friends. Next to her, Elena also sighed in relief to see Cloud and his friends came to both her and Yuffie's rescue.

"Wheeel… Long time no see." exclaimed Corneo gleefully and cautiously as he glance at Cloud, Angelina and the other 3 women behind them both.

"Don't tell me you forgot…" said Cloud as he raised his eyebrows in disbelief to Corneo.

"That fall into the trap you pull on us really hurt!" yelled Tifa angrily at Corneo, clenching her fists tightly while thinking back to the "falling-into-the-sewer" trap which Corneo tricked them into back in Midgar and which delayed them from heading back to Sector 7 in time to stop the support pillar from being destroyed.

"You just don't get it, do you…!?" yelled Aeris angrily at Corneo, thinking about all of the innocent people living above and below Sector 7 who had been crushed or fell to their deaths when the support pillar got destroyed and the Sector 7 plate came crashing down. All because Corneo told Heidegger of Shinra company that AVALANCHE is somewhere in Sector 7. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were three of those many innocent peoples.

"Do you have any idea what happened to all those innocent peoples of Sector 7 after we got out from the sewers!?" yelled Angelina angrily at Corneo as well.

"So you're the sickening bastard responsible for that Sector 7 tragedy a few days ago back in Midgar." snarled Laina as she narrowed her eyes at Corneo.

"Be quiet, all of you!" Corneo snapped at them. "None of you know how much I've suffered since then…" he lapsed into silence and turned away from them. "It's a long story, but…"

"We don't want to hear it!" said Tifa. "Just let those two go!"

"Immediately!" added Angelina.

"Hmmm… You guys are… serious." said Corneo as he turned back around to glance at Cloud and his 4 female friends again, finally remembering all of them, except for Laina. "… Good, good… this ain't no time for me to be fooling around either…"

"What are you talking about now?" said Aeris.

"Why did all of you kill my little Aps?" said Corneo, ignoring Aeris's words. "Since all of you kill my Aps, I'm gonna make all of you PLAY with my new pet, so all of you won't get in the way of my search for a bride! RAPPS- come here!"

After Corneo called out to his new pet named Rapps, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Aeris immediately heard a loud, high-pitch screech and the sound of the flapping of wings coming from below them and they immediately reached for their weapons in preparation to fight off whatever Corneo threw at them. A few seconds later, a dark crimson-coloured winged dragon with a long spiky snout on its face and a long sharp tail rose up from behind Corneo and stared down at Cloud and his 4 friends. Rapps screech down at them before it began diving down toward them and before Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Aeris could land their strikes on it, Laina swiftly uses her "Exodus Blades" limit break on Rapps, causing multiple heavy slashes to appear on its body, head, wings and tail and they watched as Rapps screech out in pain due to the bleeding slash wounds on its entire body before it closed its eyes, fell and crashed down onto the rocky ground below Corneo and Cloud and his 4 friends with a loud thud. Corneo watch and stare in disbelief as his newest pet Rapps fall then crashed onto the ground before he lifted his head to glance at Cloud and his 4 friends, who were staring at him intently and his face quickly turn pale.

"Now will you let them go?" said Laina in a dark tone of voice to Corneo.

"Wait…" said Corneo quickly as he raised both of his arms in front of him. "Just wait a second!"

"SHUT UP!" commanded Cloud loudly/sharply to Corneo.

"Just listen to me, all of you. It won't take long." insisted Corneo, desperate to buy himself more time. "Why do all of you think a bad guy like me would swallow his pride and plead for his life?"

"Because he's ready to die?" said Angelina, rolling her eyes.

"Hmmm…! Wrong answer again, sweetie-pie!" said Corneo with a wicked grin on his face to Angelina and before anyone could do anything, Corneo suddenly pull out a small rectangular metal object from within his red-coloured long coat, press the button on the metal object and Cloud and his 4 friends watched as both Elena and Yuffie slowly turn upside-down on the Da Chao face statue.

"Eyaaaaah…!" screamed Elena, in fright now.

"Makes me so mad…!" yelled Yuffie angrily, furious at Corneo.

"If I press this button again," said Corneo to Cloud and his 4 shocked friends. "The both of them will fall upside-down, and we'll have a SQUASHED TOMATOES!"

"Damn you…!" snarled Cloud as he turn to glared fiercely at Corneo.

"You dirty coward!" said both Angelina and Tifa angrily at Corneo.

"Why you…" said Aeris angrily at Corneo while Laina glared silently at Corneo (and use her "Telekinesis" power to untie the ropes on both Elena and Yuffie's arms and helped floated them both after their arms are free).

"Now, give me your women too!" Corneo (who's unaware that Laina had already freed both Elena and Yuffie with her power) ordered sternly to Cloud, who glared even more fiercely at him. "Ha, ha, ha, ha! I guess I'm the one laughing last!"

"No, Corneo. That would be us." said a second familiar male voice to Corneo.

"Hee-haw. What… what's goin' on!?" said Corneo as he look around the rocky place for where the second male voice come from. "Who's there?"

Corneo then look past Cloud and his 4 friends shoulders and widened his eyes in true fear when he saw Reno calmly walking down the huge arm of Da Chao past Cloud and his 4 friends, came to a stop on the thumb of the statue, flicked a lock of his red hair behind his right ear and glance at Corneo.

"… The Turks!" said Corneo in a fearful tone of voice.

"You knew this was gonna happen ever since you leaked that secret to Cloud and his friends." said Reno to Corneo.

"And now we're going to take care of you… personally." said Crisis as he walked down the huge arm of Da Chao past Cloud and his 4 friends and stop next to his twin brother, Reno.

"DAMMIT!" shouted Corneo to both Reno and Crisis. "Then they're both goin' down with me!"

"I don't think so, you sickening bastard." said Laina to Corneo with a wicked smile on her face. He glance away from both Reno and Crisis to Laina with a confused look on his face. "Why don't you take a look at your "hostages"?" Laina told him and he did so and saw that both Elena and Yuffie are not hanging upside-down on the face statue of Da Chao anymore, instead they are standing on another rocky path at the back of Da Chao face statue with both Phemie and Rude standing near them. Before Corneo could say or do anything, Rude suddenly threw something at Corneo, which struck his head dead on, causing him to stagger backward, loses his balance and fall over the palm of Da Chao, his hands quickly grabbed onto the edge before he fall, hanging on for his life.

"Good timing, Rude." said Reno, nodding to Rude.

"…Let's get to work." said Rude simply to Reno.

Reno nodded in agreement to Rude before he walked toward the edge of Da Chao palm where Corneo was hanging on, look down at him for a few seconds before he put his right foot down on Corneo's hanging hand hard. Corneo yelped in pain when he felt Reno's leather shoe crushing on his hand, knowing that if Reno let his foot up, he would surely fall to his death.

"All right, Corneo." said Reno sternly to Corneo. "This'll be over quick, so listen up. Why do you think we went to all the trouble of teaming up with those guys to get you…?"

Corneo try to think about the right answer to tell Reno, thought of one and told him about it. "Because you were sure of victory?" said Corneo to Reno, hoping that it's the right one.

"All wrong, Corneo." said Reno with a shake of his head.

"No…! Wait, sto…!" said Corneo frantically to Reno, who lifted his right foot up and away from Corneo's hand and watched as Corneo's hand slipped and he fell off the edge of Da Chao's palm. "Aaaaaaaaaa…p" Corneo screamed when he began falling, followed by another loud thud as his body hit the ground (which make Aeris winced when she heard the thud sound and she quickly turned her head to look away).

"The correct answer was…" Reno began saying.

"… Because it's our job." finished Rude, Crisis and Phemie together.

"Oh, thank you very much…!" said Elena to Reno, Rude, Crisis and Phemie with a grateful look on her face (also gave a small nod of thanks to Laina, who nodded back). "I never expected that you guys would come to my aid…"

"Elena, don't act so weak." said Reno in a stern tone of voice as he turned to glared at Elena. "You're a Turk!"

"Y… Yes, sir! And I'm sorry!" said Elena with a sad nod of her head.

"Thanks for your help." said Aeris as she turned to glance back at Reno, who nodded silently to her while Rude turned his head to look away from them.

Before Reno could say something, a loud ringing sound suddenly rang out from inside his right pants pocket and he pulled his handphone out to answer it. "Yes… this is Reno." said Reno to whoever is talking to him on the other end of his phone. "Yes… Yes… I'll get on it right away." Reno ceased talking and put his handphone back into his right pants pocket.

"Was that the company?" Elena asked Reno.

"Yeah, they want us to find Cloud, Angelina, Laina and their friends…" replied Reno with a nod of his head to Elena before both he and Crisis glance at Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Aeris, who quickly raised their weapons in preparation to fight the two red-haired Turks.

"Are we taking them on…?" Rude asked both Reno and Crisis.

Both Reno and Crisis stared at Cloud and his 4 friends for a while longer before shaking their heads to Rude (which slightly surprised Cloud and his 4 friends). "No, Rude. Today we're off duty." Reno told Rude as he nodded reassuringly to Cloud and his 4 friends, who relaxed their guards and sighed in relieved. Cloud and his 4 friends then say goodbye to the Turks before they all went down the rocky cliff/mountain back into Wutai village with Yuffie.

XXXX

Yuffie lead Cloud and his friends/companions back into the same huge empty house which she bring them into previously, take out a huge brown bag of their materia from the hiding place before she swiftly leapt from one person to another and slipped their materia back into the slot holes of their weapons and armours.

"Phew, perfect." said Yuffie with a smile on her face after she's done putting all the materia into everyone's weapons and armours slot holes. "Now all your materia is back in their rightful place."

"Hey…" said Cloud as he lowered his head to look down at the materia on his armour and his sword. "The placement of it is messed up."

"Huh?" said Yuffie as she take a good look at everyone's materia, realised that she completely mixed up all the materia, gave them the wrong ones and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, it'll be all right… Don't be so picky!"

"Why you little…" Barret began saying to Yuffie in an angry tone of voice but she suddenly turned around and glance away from them.

"Anyways, that sure was close…" said Yuffie, cutting off Barret's words. "Now, normally, I would kick their butts, Boom, Bang!" Yuffie lapsed into silence, raised both of her hands and right leg to began punching/kicking the air in front of her, acting as though she's the one who bested Corneo and his pet dragon, Rapps instead of Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Aeris and the Turks.

Cloud and his friends/companions stared at Yuffie as she continue punching/kicking the air, cannot believe that she's acting as though nothing had happened. Cloud shook his head at Yuffie before he glance at his friends/companions, saw them glance at him and they nodded to Cloud, who nodded back to them before he and his friends/companions turned around and walked through the front door, out of the house and away from Yuffie (who's unaware that they had already left her behind in the house).

"That Corneo guy's a real pain." Yuffie began saying. "I'd rather deal with my dad than deal with that guy. Oh, by the way, some of those guys from the Turks are good, huh? At least, after all that, we got the materia back. Now, come on, everyone, let's continue our journey…"

At that point Yuffie finally turned around and jumped in surprised when she saw that Cloud and his friends/companions had left her behind in the living room all alone. "…Hey! W… Wait!" Yuffie called out to them, angry that they'd just left her behind without a word. "Oh, all right. Here, I'll give this to you guys." said Yuffie before she pull out a blue-coloured materia (the one which she took from the treasure chest before Carter could take it in the Item/Materia shop) from inside her right pocket and waved it above her head, thinking that they'd come back for it.

They didn't.

"… Come on, wait-!" Yuffie called out to them again as she run out of the house after them (and put the materia back into her right pocket). "No matter what anyone says, I'm still going with you guys! ...Next time…" Yuffie added the last 2 words under her breath as she continue running after them.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43: Leaving Wutai and heading back to Gold Saucer**

Cloud and his friends/companions left Wutai village as quickly as possible, all of them heading to their left toward the cliff/mountains, went up to the cliff/mountains then walked across the three wooden bridges on the cliff/mountains before they went down the steep and rocky-looking path off of the cliff/mountains back to the sandy beach where the Tiny Bronco plane and the boat were. Despite them leaving Yuffie behind in the Wutai village, she stubbornly decided to continue following after all of them, eventually they all sighed and give up and accepted the dismay fact that no matter what they say or do to discourage her, Yuffie would still tag along with them anyway.

After all of them push/pull both the plane and the boat back into the ocean water and climbed onto the plane's wings and into the boat, Cid soon turn on the plane's engine then turn the plane around (with the boat tied by a sturdy rope behind the plane turn around as well) and they soon set off into the ocean. After 2 hours of Cid driving/sailing the plane (while Cloud and his friends/companions decided to have some sleep on the plane's wings and in the boat sailing behind the plane) across the shallow part of the ocean and through a shallow river between two huge and tall greenish-yellow mountains and after the plane and the boat came out from the other side of the river, Cid soon noticed a single small house standing all alone on the edge of the continent and Cid quickly yet carefully drove/sailed the plane toward the sandy beach near the small house before he turn off the plane's engine, woke Cloud and his friends/companions up and told them about the small house after they woke up. Cloud and his friends/companions woke up and stared at the small house which Cid just told them about and Cloud decided to bring Angelina, Tifa, Aeris and Laina with him toward the house and told Cid and the others to wait on the plane and in the boat for them, which they nodded.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Aeris and Laina then jumped off the plane onto the beach, headed toward the small house together, open then went through the front door into the small house and they saw that it's not a house, but actually a shop run by a bald-headed guy wearing a black-coloured T-shirt and long brown pants who sells weapons, armours and other kind of supplies. The bald-headed guy blinked his eyes in surprise/confusion when he saw Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Aeris and Laina came into his shop (since he rarely get customers) before he suddenly tell the 5 of them about a "Keystone" which he use to have and which can unlocked a certain temple called the "Temple of the Ancients". The bald-headed guy's words instantly caught Cloud and the 4 women attentions and they quickly asked the guy if they can have it but he told them that he already sold the Keystone off to Dio, the owner of the Gold Saucer.

Cloud then asked the guy for more information about the "Temple of the Ancients" (with Angelina, Tifa, Aeris and Laina listening closely) and the guy told Cloud that the temple had some kind of "Ultimate Destructive Magic" hidden within it (which suddenly make Cloud and the 4 women had very bad feelings in their minds/hearts/souls) but he had absolutely no idea where the temple is.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Aeris and Laina thanked the guy for his useful informations, bought some new weapons from him for their other friends waiting for them outside, gave some Mythril metals for the guy and he gave them something very valuable to thank them for giving him some Mythril metals, which turns out to be Aeris final limit break "Great Gospel". After Aeris take her final limit break from the guy, absorb it into her body and left the small shop with Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina (who carry their friends/companions new weapons) back toward the beach where they were all waiting on the Tiny Bronco and in the boat. After Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina gave the new weapons to each of their waiting friends/companions, Aeris quickly approach then clasped Laina's left hand in both of her hands (which slightly surprises her), closed her green eyes in deep concentration and Laina immediately felt a warm, soothing and powerful energy entered her body (Cloud, Angelina and the others didn't noticed her doing something to Laina).

"What did you just do to me, Aeris?" Laina asked Aeris after she open her eyes and let go of Laina's left hand.

"I'm passing 1 of my limit break called "Pulse of Life" to you, Laina." Aeris told her. "It's yours now."

"Why would you do that?" Laina asked Aeris with a confused look on her face.

"I can't tell you why, Laina." said Aeris as she glance at Laina. "All I can say to you is use it well on yourself and on your friends/companions."

After Aeris done her job in passing 1 of her limit break power/skill to Laina, both of them then lapsed into silence, turned around and climbed up onto the plane and sat down on the plane's wings with Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Cid before Cid turn on the plane's engine, drove the plane away from the sandy beach before he slowly turn the plane around to the opposite side of the sandy beach, drove/sailed across the ocean toward it and Cid soon turn off the plane's engine before he, Cloud and the others got off the plane and the boat, drag/pull both the plane and the boat up to the beach away from the ocean before all of them turn to their left and headed toward North Corel, where the Ropeway Station is.

XXXX

"Well, here we are heading toward the Gold Saucer for the second time." said Aeris to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others (who nodded to her except for Vincent, Cid and Selwyn) inside the navy blue-coloured air-cab after the air-cab drove/flew away from the North Corel Ropeway station, entered the small, half-circular dark tunnel leading to the Gold Saucer entrance/theme park, landed and parked itself inside the theme park before the door to the air-cab opened and Cloud and his friends/companions stepped out of the air-cab and look around the place again. The place was just as they remembered it (except for Vincent, Cid and Selwyn since this is their first time coming to Gold Saucer), with the same man dressed as a Chocobo as he walked/jumped around the entrance/theme park, the same blonde-haired woman (who's wearing the same pink T-shirt with a black vest over it, black skirt and black heels on her body and feet) standing next to the orange-coloured entrance, the same lively/happy sound of the music and the loud, joyful screams of the people as they played/enjoyed their time in Gold Saucer.

Cloud and his friends/companions then went through the orange-coloured entrance after they sorted out the verification of their lifetime pass with the blonde-haired woman, stood in the middle of the main station and they look at all of the huge, round-shaped holes leading into different places for a few seconds before Cloud, Angelina and Laina turned to their right, headed toward the huge, round-shaped hole with the name "Battle Square" written above it and they jumped straight into the hole, the rest of their friends/companions followed soon after them.

After Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions jumped straight into the hole and came out of 1 of the hollowed out tunnels (which guards the long tubes), they turned to their left, went up the white staircase with a long purple carpet draped on it and into the Battle Square. Once they're inside the Battle Square and look around the place, they soon noticed an opened door far to their right with the words "Dio's Museum Room" written above the opened door and they quickly turn to their right, walked up the short flight of stairs in front of them and went into the room.

Cloud and his friends/companions soon noticed the "Keystone" amongst the vast collections of Dio's other priceless artifacts (Star Cup, Weekend Clock, Laugh Sapling, Slayer's Pot, Chisa's Mask, D-Type Equipment, a pair of mini hot-air balloons, Zauger's Cup, Calling Gourd, Kleine's Pot and a huge portrait of Dio himself) from various places around the world after they went into Dio's museum room, which had been placed on a semi-large altar deep inside the room in front of Dio's portrait and kept on a red velvet-coloured cushion within a square-shaped protective glass case, visible for everyone to see. Cloud and his friends/companions stepped closer to the protective glass case to peered at the Keystone within, which is a round-shaped, beautiful light blue-coloured stone with peculiar markings on the surface of the stone.

"It's the Keystone…" said Cloud to the others with him as he glance and read a small piece of white-coloured card next to the Keystone on the semi-large altar, all of them too absorbed in staring at the Keystone that they failed to heard Dio stepping into his museum, saw and recognized Cloud and some of his friends/companions standing inside his museum and staring at the Keystone in front of them before he smiled and walked up to them.

"Heh, heh, heh." Dio chuckled suddenly from behind them, which make some of them jumped a little in surprised (like Tifa, Nina, Selwyn and Carter) before they all turned around to glance at Dio. "Long time no see, boy and girls." said Dio in a slightly cheerful tone of voice as he glance at Cloud, Angelina and Laina before he glance away from the 3 of them to look at the Keystone which they were all looking at. "Hmmm? You all like that Keystone thing, huh?"

Cloud glance back at the Keystone and nodded to Dio. "Can you let us borrow it?" Cloud asked Dio.

"Just for a short while, at least." said Angelina.

"Heh, heh, heh." Dio chuckled again at what both Cloud and Angelina just told him before he ceased his chuckling and a serious/firm look appear instantly on his face. "Sorry, but it's not for rent." said Dio in a firm tone of voice to them, which make some of them feel disappointed, especially Aeris.

"Isn't there a way for us to have that Keystone, Dio?" said Laina.

"Well…" said Dio as he lowered his head to ponder deeply for a while before getting an idea and lifted his head to glance at Cloud with a smile on his face. "Since some of you have been good to me a few days ago in the past, I'll let all of you have it on 1 condition."

"1 condition?" said Cloud, raising his right eyebrow.

"What kind of condition?" asked Kunsel.

"Heh, heh, heh." Dio chuckled for the third time before he raised his left hand and pointed a finger at Cloud. "Entertain me!"

"What do you want me to do?" Cloud asked Dio after he glance at his friends/companions who nodded to him.

"Hoo boy! Heh, heh, heh." Dio chuckled delightfully for the fourth time, which make Cloud began to feel a little worry/anxious. "It's not something that's really difficult." Dio hastily assured Cloud when he saw the worry/anxious look on Cloud's face. "This is the Battle Arena/Square. Show me your fighting skills. Just you alone, my boy. I'm expecting a good fight from you!"

XXXX

A few minutes later, Cloud entered the Battle Arena with his Buster Sword behind his back and some of his materia in his pockets in preparation for the battles ahead of him while Dio led Angelina, Laina, Tifa and the rest of their friends/companions (who wished Cloud a few good lucks before he entered the Battle Arena) through a side wooden door and up to the balcony (with dozen of seats in the balcony) which allow them to look down at Cloud and the entire arena below through a thick glass barrier (which prevented the monsters from attacking the audiences) before Dio left them for his own personal seat at the other side of the balcony. Cloud lifted his head to glance up at the balcony and saw some of his friends/companions looking down at him from behind the thick glass barrier with anxious/worry looks on their faces (like Angelina, Tifa and Aeris since they were unable or forbidden to help him out and could only sit, watch and hope that he'll triumph), solemn/silent looks on their faces (Laina, Barret, Kunsel, Red XIII, Selwyn, Vincent and Cid) while others encourage/cheer him on (Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter).

Cloud then lowered his head to glance away from his friends/companions when he heard and saw the large wooden gates of the Battle Arena were slowly opening to reveal the darkness within (which render him unable to see what kind of monsters is inside before they came out), pull his Buster Sword from his back, raised it in front of him to ready himself for his first battle. Soon, a group of 4 sahagins tortoise monsters came walking out of the opened wooden gates, glared at Cloud for a few seconds before the group of 4 sahagins and Cloud charge toward each other and begin fighting.

XXXX

After almost an hour since Dio told Cloud to entertain him by fighting in the Battle Arena, Cloud barely managed to fight and defeat the next monster (which turns out to be a ferocious Behemoth King right after he defeat/killed off a group of sahagins, Razor Weeds, Grand Horns, Heavy Tank, Thunderbirds, Bats and Sweeper robots) that came out of the large wooden gates with his "Blade Beam", "Climhazzard", "Meteorain" limit breaks and with casting some Fira, Blizzara and Thundara magic at it before Cloud dropped his Buster Sword from his hands and fell to his knees on the ground of the Battle Arena (due to the muscles on his body, arms and legs which ached and burned terribly and which make Angelina, Tifa, Aeris and Laina very worried as they watched on). Cloud slowly lifted his head to glance up at Dio, his tired mako eyes telling him that he had had enough of fighting and Dio nodded to Cloud before he turned his glance away from Cloud toward 2 of his staffs below (who came into the Arena to drag away every dead bodies of the monsters which Cloud killed/defeated), gave them a single wave and they nodded to Dio, getting the hint that the fight is officially over.

Cloud picked up his sword, reluctantly stood up and groaned as he felt the muscles on his body, arms and legs ached even more before he turned around and slowly walked out of the Battle Arena. Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Aeris and the rest of their friends/companions quickly turned to their left and leave the balcony, open and went through the side wooden door to meet up with Cloud outside of the Battle Arena entrance and they immediately ran over to him when they saw him came out of the Battle Arena entrance. Both Laina and Aeris immediately uses their Cura materia and "Healing Wind" limit break on Cloud, to healed/soothed the aches/bruises on his entire body (which he's grateful for) while Angelina, Tifa and the rest of his friends/companions offered words of corcerns/congratulations to him.

After both Laina and Aeris are done in healing most of Cloud's bruises/aches, Dio came out of the Battle Arena, approach Cloud and his friends/companions (which broke up their string of concerns/congratulations for Cloud) and motioned for them to followed him into his museum which they did so. They followed Dio into his museum and watched as he went toward the semi-large altar, carefully lifted the glass case off the altar, lifted the Keystone away from its red velvet-coloured cushion, turned around and walked back to them and stopped in front of Cloud with the Keystone on his left hand.

"You fought quite well in there, boy! Well, a promise is a promise. Go ahead, take it." said Dio with a proud smile on his face to Cloud before he handed the Keystone over to Cloud, who took it from him.

"Thanks, Dio." said Cloud in a slightly weary tone of voice.

"Well then, we shall meet again, boy and girls!" said Dio in a cheerful tone of voice to Cloud and his friends/companions before he turned and walked past all of them out of his museum. Once Dio's gone, Cloud's friends/companions gathered around Cloud to look/examine the Keystone he's holding.

"So this is the Keystone that will unlock the Temple of the Ancients?" said Selwyn as he glance down at the Keystone.

"Looks like it, Selwyn." said Tifa.

"Alright, you guys. We got the Keystone now so we should hurry and take it away from here before Shinra company knows about it and comes to Gold Saucer for it." said Laina in a serious tone of voice to Cloud, Angelina, Aeris and the rest of her friends/companions, who glance at her before glancing back at the Keystone Cloud's holding and they all nodded in silent agreement. On top of that, Cloud recalled back to the conversation he had with Angelina, Tifa and the others back in Gongaga about suspicions of possible traitors among them and he shook the troubling thought away, not wanting to think about it.

Cloud slipped the Keystone safely into his right pants pocket (which everyone watched him do so) before he and his friends/companions turned and left the museum and the Battle Square, walked down the long white staircase with the purple carpet draped onto it, reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to their left to head into 1 of the hollowed out tunnels, jumped out of the round-shaped holes back into the main station before they all turned to their left and walked out of the orange-coloured entrance except for Cait Sith, Nina and Carter, who stayed behind in the main station to discuss something amongst themselves.

After Cloud and his friends/companions came out of the entrance, they saw that the navy-blue coloured air cab is still there, parked near the gaping mouth of the huge pink-coloured Mog tunnel with the blonde-haired woman standing near the air cab, who's scribbling roughly on the clipboard she's holding in her left hand with a pencil in her right hand and with a worry look on her face. When she heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind her, she quickly turned around and ran over to intercept them.

"Excuse me, sirs and madams." said the blonde-haired woman in a tired/strained tone of voice to Cloud and his friends/companions. "The air-cab is currently out of order right now."

"…. So?" said Cloud as he glance back and forth at the air-cab and the blonde-haired woman.

"I'm really sorry!" the blonde-haired woman apologized to Cloud and his friends/companions before she bowed her head down in front of them. "I'm afraid that you and your friends won't be able to leave until it's fully repaired." the blonde-haired woman told them.

Cloud sighed and shake his head in weariness/exasperation at the precise bad timing of the now out of order air-cab before he turned around to glance at the others and saw that they all had the same exasperated/weary looks as him.

"What's wrong?" said a cheerful voice suddenly from behind them and all of them turned around to see that it's Cait Sith, with both Nina and Carter behind him.

"Why are all of you looking so weary/exasperated now?" asked Nina as she saw the weary/exasperated looks on their faces.

"The lady just told us that the air-cab is out of order, Nina." replied Kunsel.

Cait Sith, Nina and Carter glance away from Cloud and his friends/companions to glance at the air-cab and understood immediately.

"I see." said Nina.

"That's too bad." said Cait Sith as he glance back at Cloud and his friends/companions. "It happens sometimes, though. Hey, I know! Let's stay at the hotel! They know me, Nina and Carter here. We'll go talk to them."

"That's a splendid idea, Cait Sith." said Carter to Cait Sith in an approving tone of voice and before Cloud and his friends/companions could stop Cait Sith, Nina and Carter, they'd already turned around and went through the entrance, out of their sights.

"I will let all of you know once the repairs to the air-cab are completed." The blonde-haired woman said to Cloud and his friends/companions, who sighed again before they turned around and went through the entrance as well.

XXXX

"We don't usually get the chance to be together in a big group like this, huh, everyone?" said Cait Sith happily to Cloud and his friends/companions inside the main hall of the hotel (which is tall and grand-looking with tables and chairs covered in dust and grime and with ghosts sitting on the chairs, an old grandfather clock ticking silently against the dusty, bronze-coloured wall near the staircase behind Cait Sith, Nina, Yuffie and Vincent, the red-coloured floorboards creaked loudly under their feet) right after he, Nina and Carter booked a hotel for them which is located in the Ghost Square and which doesn't amused Cloud and his friends/conpanions when they saw and stepped into the gloomy looking hotel, which is built to look exactly like a haunted house near an artificial graveyard filled with tombstones with the names of different areas of the Gold Saucer carved onto them. "How 'bout it? Cloud? Can you tell us what's happened so far?"

"I agree with Cait Sith." said Nina with a nod of her head. "Some of us don't really know what's going on because we weren't here in the beginning."

"Yeah! I'm all for it!" Cid exclaimed to Cloud.

"Good idea." said Vincent, in agreement with Cid, Nina and Cait Sith.

"I been here since the beginnin', an' I still don't know what the hell's goin' on either." Barret snapped fiercely before he turned to glance at both Cloud and Angelina. "Cloud, the hell's goin' on? C'mon, tell us! Same goes for you too, Angelina!"

Both Cloud and Angelina looked around at each of their friends/companions, who were looking at the both of them with expectations on their faces, waiting for them to explain what was going on and they began to felt a little annoyed/angry at their friends/companions.

" _Why is it every time when you guys are confused about something, you guys always turn to us for explanations?"_ thought Angelina slightly angrily to herself. " _Both Cloud and I were just as confused about the whole situation as all of you are."_

Laina noticed the look of annoyed/anger in both Cloud and Angelina's eyes and she decided to intervened on their behalf. "Alright, that's enough, you guys." said Laina sternly to Cait Sith, Nina, Cid, Vincent and Barret. "Cloud's still tired after several of his battles in the Battle Arena to won the Keystone from Dio and both he and Angelina doesn't need any further forcing/pressuring from you guys to retell their tale so…"

"No, it's fine, Laina." said Cloud to Laina, cutting off her words while both he and Angelina glance at Laina to give her "thanks-for-intervening-on-our-behalf" looks.

"Are you 2 sure about it, Cloud, Angelina?" asked Laina as she turn to glance at the both of them.

"Yes, we're sure, Laina." replied Angelina with a small nod of her head to Laina.

Both Cloud and Angelina then glance away from Laina to glance back to the others. "We'll try to give it a shot…" Cloud told them before he took a deep breath and sighed deeply. "Phew… We are going after Sephiroth who must be in search of the Promised Land."

"The Promised Land?" asked Cid, confused.

"What is this Promised Land thing?" asked Selwyn, confused as well.

"We heard that it's a fertile land filled with Mako Energy…" Angelina explained to both Cid and Selwyn. "… or at least that's what the Shinra believe. We've no idea if it actually exists."

At that moment, Aeris decided to step forward to tell them more about the Promised Land since she's an Ancient herself. "The Cetras return to the Promised Land. A land that promises boundless happiness."

"Cetra?" said Barret with a confused look on his face. "That some kinda disease?"

"Of course not, Barret." said Laina with a shake of her head.

"That's what the Ancients use to called themselves." said Aeris as she turned to glance at Barret. "Hey, didn't you listen clearly to the elders words back in Cosmo Canyon?" Aeris asked Barret which make him shifted uncomfortably where he stood, not wanting to admit that he haven't been paying attention to the elders words. Aeris sighed at Barret before she turned back to the others to resumed telling them. "… You don't "know" where the Promised Land of the Ancients is. You search and travel, until you feel it. Like you just know, "… this is the Promised Land."."

"Aeris… can you feel it too, like right now?" said Cloud as he turned to glance at her.

"I think so, Cloud." said Aeris as she turned to glance at Cloud.

"So Sephiroth is travelling the world because he's searching for the Promised Land?" said Tifa as she summed up everything that Cloud, Angelina and Aeris had said. "Is that it?"

"That, and 1 other thing he's searching for." said Aeris carefully to Tifa before she look at Cloud, Angelina and Laina, knowing that they would knew what she meant.

And they did knew what she just meant and the thing which the 3 of them just thought in their minds instantly filled them with fear/dread, same goes for Aeris. "The Black Materia… The Ultimate Destructive Magic…" said Cloud, Angelina and Laina together at the same time (which make the rest of their friends/companions shudder in fear/dread when they heard Cloud, Angelina and Laina say it out).

"I heard from Dio that a man in a Black Cape was lookin' for the Black Materia here in Gold Saucer." said Cait Sith to Cloud and his friends/companions and some of them remember that they had come across some of those Black Capes men in Nibelheim village (while Cid decided to fall asleep on the chair he's sitting on at this very moment). As both Cloud and Angelina remembered about it, they instantly felt sharp, dizzying pains in the back of their heads which make them both grimaced in pain before they shook their heads to push away the pain/dizziness from their heads.

"I don't even know what the Black Cape is…" said Tifa. "How many men with Black Capes and number tattoos are there?"

"… Some of you know, of course…" said Red XIII hesitantly to the others in a small voice. "My tattoo is number 13." He then turned and showed them the branded black tattoo on his left shoulder, which is 13.

"How did you get that tattoo, Red XIII?" Cloud asked Red XIII curiously.

"… Hojo put it on me." replied Red XIII as he looked down at the branded tattoo on his left shoulder and curled his lip in disgust. "Everything else on my body is just war scars, but the number was done by Hojo."

"So there are at least 13!?" exclaimed Tifa with a horrified look on her face.

"…You know…" said Aeris in a hesitant tone of voice like Red XIII just did seconds ago. "I think Hojo did something to those men in the Black Capes. But I don't know what it has to do with Sephiroth though… That's why I think we should just go after Sephiroth ourselves."

"Yeah, me too!" said Barret loudly to the others. "It's all just too damn confusin'."

"All of us will go after Sephiroth together." said Laina with a nod of her head to Aeris (who gave her a small smile in return).

"And…" Aeris began saying before her face suddenly turn pale and she lapsed into silence, which everyone (except Cid, who's still sleeping) noticed. "I'm sorry, forget it!" Aeris cried out suddenly to them, which surprises/shocked them. "I think I'm tired. I'm going to bed now." Aeris said to them and before anyone could say anything to her, she turned and run past Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter up the stairs, turned to her right toward the bedrooms. Laina (who's feeling worry for Aeris sudden departure) immediately excuse herself to the others before she run past Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter up the stairs, turned to her right toward the bedrooms, with Kunsel following suit behind her after he excuse himself as well.

"What was that, all of a sudden!?" exclaimed Cait Sith in a surprised/shocked tone of voice to the others after Aeris, Laina and Kunsel are out of their sights.

"What!? That's it? I'm goin' to bed too!" said Yuffie in an outraged tone of voice before she turned around, run up the stairs and turned to her left toward the bedrooms as well.

"Is that all?" said Cait Sith in a disappointed tone of voice to the others after Yuffie left them. "How 'bout the Black Materia?"

"You wouldn't understand even if either Angie or I told you." said Cloud with a shake of his head to Cait Sith, feeling very tired as the conversation went on.

"Now all we gotta do is take action!" yelled Barret in a loud voice, which make Cloud flinch at his loudness and Angelina scowled at Barret for yelling loudly. Barret, however, didn't noticed that his yelling causes Cloud to flinch and Angelina to scowled at him. "We're startin' tomorrow!" added Barret before he turned and run past Cait Sith, Nina and Carter up the stairs.

"Cloud, Angelina…" said Red XIII in a quiet voice and a concern look on his face as he walked slowly toward the both of them. "I'm number 13. Am I going to go mad too, just like the other Black Capes men we saw back in Nibelheim?"

Cloud glance at Red XIII, unable to give him an answer while both Angelina and Tifa approach Red XIII to patted his shoulders and head.

"Of course you're not going to go mad, Red XIII." said Angelina in a reassuring tone of voice to Red XIII.

"Angie's right, Red XIII." said Tifa as she nodded her head in agreement with Angelina. "We don't know what Hojo did to you, but you've been all right so far, isn't it?"

"But…" said Red XIII.

"Be strong, Red XIII." said Angelina.

"But, I…" said Red XIII again.

"Stop it, Red XIII! Be strong!" snapped Tifa slightly angrily at Red XIII, which make him lapsed into silence and he turn his head away to avoid looking at Tifa.

"Tifa?" said both Cloud and Angelina as they glance at her in surprised, for they had never seen Tifa this angry at someone before.

"You're not the only one who's worried!" said Tifa angrily at Red XIII, ignoring both Cloud and Angelina's words.

"I don't know what's going on, but I think we're in a very bad situation…" Cait Sith muttered to himself when he saw Tifa reprimand Red XIII and both Nina and Carter heard his muttering.

"Geez, you think, Cait Sith?" said Carter to Cait Sith with a scowl on his face.

Seeing that the conversation has come to an end, Vincent turned to his right and approach Cid, who's sitting on the chair near him. "Hey Cid, let's head upstairs to our rooms now." Vincent said to Cid, blinked his red-coloured eyes in surprised when Cid didn't answer before realizing that he had fallen asleep during the conversation.

"…zzzz…zzzz…" said Cid in his sleep.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44: Going on a date and knowing who the spies is**

Cloud stood close to the dusty-looking window next to a huge dark green-coloured cabinet built to look like an Iron Maiden with glowing yellow eyes on its face, peering out through the dusty-looking window into the fake graveyard below in his assigned bedroom which he shares with both Kunsel and Selwyn (who were deeply asleep on each of their single beds). Despite the eerie setting of the room and the excessive weariness of his body, Cloud found himself unable to fall asleep due to the troubling thoughts coursing through his mind now.

" _We haven't seen any sign of Sephiroth anywhere ever since we last saw him in the underground basement under Shinra mansion back in Nibelheim."_ thought Cloud to himself. " _We know that he's heading toward the Temple of the Ancients but what if he's already there and he already got his hands on the Black Materia? Furthermore, the guy which we all met back in that small weapon shop/house near the beach told us that the Black Materia was the Ultimate Destructive Magic. Did a powerful and dangerous materia like that truly exist, like the temple? And what would happened if Sephiroth uses it?"_ Cloud closed his eyes and shook the troubling thoughts away from his mind. " _We won't let that happen. We'll stop Sephiroth before he could ever use it."_

Cloud was instantly interrupted from his thoughts by someone knocking on his, Kunsel and Selwyn bedroom door (which make both Kunsel and Selwyn groaned lightly in their slumbers) before he turned around, walked away from the dusty-looking window toward the door, opened it to see Angelina standing outside.

"Hello, Cloud." Angelina greeted Cloud with a small smile on her face.

"Hello, Angie." Cloud greeted back to her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Cloud." said Angelina. "Just that… I'm feeling a little bored staying cooped up in the bedroom which I shared with Tifa so I decided to leave the room to come to see you and asked whether you wanted to go and have some fun with me in the other Square areas in Gold Saucer?"

"Huh?" said Cloud as he blinked his eyes in confusion at Angelina. "Why me, Angie? Why aren't you asking the others to go with you, like Tifa or Laina or Aeris?"

"I didn't ask the others because they're all already asleep in their rooms after I left my room and I had a feeling that you're still awake, brooding and thinking about stuffs all by yourself." said Angelina. "That's why I came to ask you whether you wanted to come and have some fun with me and also to take your mind off of those brooding thoughts for a while."

"I don't know, Angie…" Cloud began saying to her.

"Oh, come on, Cloud!" said Angelina with a pout on her face as she cut off Cloud's words. "We won't get another chance like this again before we resumed our journey tomorrow."

Cloud stared at Angelina for a few more seconds then sighed and nodded his head. "… Alright then, Angie. I guess I'll go and have some fun with you."

"Really? Thanks, Cloud!" said Angelina, smiling at Cloud (which make him smile a little at her sudden jovial mood) before she approach him, grabbed hold of his right arm and pull him out of his room. The both of them silently walked past the other rooms where their friends/companions were currently asleep (so as not to wake them up) toward the staircase, walked down the staircase carefully (so that the stairs would not creak loudly under their boots) before they reached the bottom of the stairs, slowly walked through the main hall to approach the front door, opened it then closed it silently behind them before they run toward the fake graveyard, look at each of the fake gravestones to see which one has the "Station" word carved onto it, found it and both Cloud and Angelina jumped into the tube together after they approach the gravestone with the word "Station" on it and it opened up for them.

Both Cloud and Angelina zipped through the tube with the wind gushes past their ears and flutter their hairs wildly around their faces until they jumped out of the tube before landing/standing safely on the ground in the main station. After both Cloud and Angelina jumped out of the tube into the main station, they glance around the station and noticed one of the Gold Saucer staff (a short blonde-haired man) standing next to the huge hole with the words "Event Square" written above it in front of them.

"Tonight's Enchantment Night! All the attractions are free of charge." the Gold Saucer staff announced in an excited tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina while he waves his left hand at the huge hole to his left. "How 'bout it you 2? There's going to be an entertaining show in the Event Square!"

"An entertaining show in the Event Square, huh? Let's go check it out, Cloud." said Angelina as she turned to glance at Cloud, who nodded to her before they went toward the tube marked for the Event Square and jumped into it without hesitation.

After both Cloud and Angelina jumped out of the tube and went through the entrance into the Event Square, they look down and saw that almost all of the long wooden benches below the balcony were filled to the brim with many audiences sitting on them, who were chattering loudly among themselves while they waited for the show to start on the empty stage (with some yellow Chocobos standing on the grassy plains nearby a house with the clear blue sky and the written Gold Saucer words above them painted on the stage wall and with some fluorescent lights shining down on the huge painted wall and the empty stage). As both Cloud and Angelina continue looking down the balcony and the audiences, trying to find/see if there's any good seats left for them where they could see the show clearly, another staff member of the Gold Saucer (a long black-haired woman this time) noticed them both standing near the entrance and she walked over toward them.

"Congratulations!" said the second Gold Saucer staff loudly at both Cloud and Angelina, which make them jumped a little in surprised before they turned to glance at her. "The 2 of you are our 100th couple tonight! And you 2 will be the leads in tonight's show!"

"Say what?" said Cloud as he stared at the female staff with a shocked/horrified look on his face.

"We are?" said Angelina as she stared at the female staff with a surprised look on her face (and mentally giggle in her mind when she saw the shocked/horrified look on Cloud's face).

"Oh, now, it's not hard." the female staff smiled and hastily reassured Cloud with a calming wave of her right hand when she saw the shocked/horrified look on his face. "Just play it however you want and the rest of the cast will cover up for you." The female staff then ceased her talking, turned around and began to walked away from them across the balcony toward the staff doors. She halted in her tracks, turned around and motioned for both Cloud and Angelina to follow her when she saw that they're not following behind her. "Come this way, you 2." she told them both.

"I'm not going on that stage!" Cloud protested to the female staff but she didn't hear what he say due to the loud chattering of the audiences which completely drowned out his voice. He then turned his head to glance at Angelina when he felt her hand patting his shoulder and saw her giving him a reassuring smile.

"Let's do it, Cloud." said Angelina to Cloud. "Who knows? It's might be fun."

"… Fine, Angie." replied Cloud to Angelina with a dismay sigh before both he and Angelina followed after the female staff across the balcony toward the staff doors.

XXXX

6 minutes later, the entire cast for the show is ready, the empty stage is set and the audiences sitting on the long wooden benches (who's still chattering noisily amongst themselves while waiting impatiently for the show to start) watched as a man (who is the narrator of the show) stepped onto the stage, raised his left hand to silence the chattering audiences in front of him and they all immediately ceased their chattering before the man cleared his throat and began telling the story to the audiences in a loud and clear tone of voice.

"Long, long ago… An evil shadow appeared over the peaceful and prosperous kingdom of Galdia… Princess Rosa was just kidnapped by the Evil Dragon King named Valvados. What kind of terrible fate will befall the kidnapped princess who's in the clutches of the Evil Dragon King, Valvados? Just then, the legendary hero, Alfred, appears!"

The narrator guy ceased his talking, turned to his right and walked away from the stage and the audiences watched and waited eagerly to see the legendary hero. 6 seconds later, they saw a spiky blonde-haired guy with blue eyes and wearing all in black ran out reluctantly from the right onto the stage, stopped in his tracks in the middle of the stage and staring down at the audiences.

Cloud stood waiting in the middle of the stage without any idea on what he supposed to say or do next (after he had been given a short run-through of the story while refusing to wear the childish costumes the staffs picked out for him before he run out onto the stage in his own SOLDIER outfit instead). Luckily for him, he was saved from further embarrassment by 1 of the cast members dressed in a ridiculous/hilarious dull grey-coloured knight costume who twirled onto the stage toward him, stopped beside him and lightly rolled his helmet head.

"Oh… You must be the legendary hero… Alfred!" exclaimed the knight in a loud, exaggerated and unnatural tone of voice to Cloud, which make Cloud turned his head to look at the knight with an incredulous look on his face before he shook his head and look away from the knight (while trying to hold back the laughter that's is rising up from the back of his throat).

The knight stared at Cloud with a puzzled look on his face, wondering why Cloud turn his head away and didn't say anything before he leaned his helmet head a little closer to Cloud and whispered sharply to him. "Hey, it's your line now."

Cloud glance back at the knight, raised his left hand and pointed at himself in a confused manner.

"Yeah, you." the knight whispered again to Cloud (who's still confused) before he took a deep breath, cleared his throat and resumed his role as a knight. "Ahem!" said the knight as he spread his right arm out before him and addressed Cloud (who still staring at him) to the audiences. "Oh… You must be the legendary hero… Alfred! I know in my soul. Please, please save Princess Rosa! Now… Please talk… to the King…!" the knight glance away from Cloud to glance at the audiences, kneel down then began to slide backward toward the back of the stage, allowing the next cast member to twirl onto the stage.

The second cast member who twirled onto the stage was dressed just as ridiculous/hilarious as the knight, in a fancy-looking tunic and trousers which had been filled with soft, white-coloured cotton foam padding (to give the impression of a very well-fed king) with a long navy blue-coloured luxurious robe which covered his shoulders and his back, a metal crown painted in gold colour sat on his head and brown-coloured boots on his feet. Cloud glance blankly back and forth at the knight and the king before he approach the king.

"Oh… legendary hero, Alfred." said the cast member acting as the king in a deep and loud tone of voice to Cloud, which is slightly better than the knight. "You have come to save my beloved daughter, Rosa… On the highest peak of a dark and dangerous mountain… dwells the Evil Dragon King, Valvados… who's kidnapped my daughter, Rosa… But… you can't defeat the Evil Dragon King now! Talk to the one who can help you…"

After the king is done talking to Cloud, Cloud saw that the king raised and motioned his right hand to the right hand side of the stage and Cloud turned around and saw with slightly widened eyes at a third cast member that came twirling out onto the stage, dressed like a kind of wizard in a long dark green-coloured cloak that covered his shoulders down his back, pure green-coloured shirt and pants under the dark green-coloured cloak with soft white-coloured fur on the edge of his collar, sleeves and hem and a black-coloured pointed hat on his head. The cast member acted as a wizard ceased his twirling beside the knight and Cloud felt the king nudged his shoulder from behind him, silently telling him to go forward and talk to either the knight or the wizard and Cloud shrugged his shoulders before he run toward the wizard.

"I am the great and wise wizard, Vorman." said the wizard to Cloud after Cloud approach and stopped near him. "What do you wish to know, legendary hero Alfred?"

"The Evil Dragon King's weakness." said Cloud to the wizard, finally remembering his story lines and he heard duo sighs of relieved coming from the knight and the king from behind him.

"Ahhh, the weakness of the Evil Dragon King, It must be, it must be…" said the wizard as he waved both of his hands and began to murmur in a strange, unknown language (which make Cloud lightly rolled his eyes since he knew that it's just for the show and its audiences). "Yes, it must be, must be… True love!" said the wizard. "The power of true love… Is the only weapon that can withstand the dreaded fangs of the Evil Dragon King…!"

" _Say what!?"_ thought Cloud with a shocked look on his face. " _True love? That's the best they could come up with in this play of theirs?"_

"Oh, what is going to happen next….!" said the narrator guy. "Oh… Legendary hero… look!"

Cloud watched as the King, the knight and the wizard raised their arms above their heads in mock fear before he turned to his left to stared at the far end of the stage and widened his eyes in surprised (and heard some of the audiences gasped in fear while others gasped in awe) when he saw a guy dressed in a pale green-coloured dragon costume with wings and a tail behind it came floating/flying out onto the stage and carrying Angelina (who acted as Princess Rosa) in front of him.

"Gaaaaaaaah!" roared the cast member acting as the Evil Dragon King fiercely at Cloud as he dropped Angelina onto the stage floor. "I am the Evil Dragon King… Valvados! I have not harmed the Princess… I have been expecting… your arrival!"

"Please help me… legendary hero Alfred!" Angelina pleaded in a fearful tone of voice as she looked at Cloud while holding out her trembling arms to him. "…Like that?" Angelina whispered to the Evil Dragon King as she glance upward at him and saw him softly nodded to her before she glance back at Cloud.

"Gaaaaaaaah!" the Evil Dragon King roared again at Cloud. "Here I come, legendary hero… Alfred! I already know… your name!"

After the Evil Dragon King finish roaring/talking to Cloud, the wizard hurriedly approach Cloud, grasped his shoulder with his left hand while raising his right arm and pointing his finger at Angelina and the Evil Dragon King. "And now… Legendary hero…! Here is what will befall… to your beloved…" the wizard ceased his talking for a few seconds and lifted his head to glance up at the night sky. "A kiss! The power of True Love!"

The audiences once again glance at Cloud, eager to see what he would do to vanquish the Evil Dragon King while the rest of the cast members, especially the knight, hoped that Cloud didn't forget what he should do next. Luckily for them, Cloud did remember and he run toward Angelina (who slowly stood up from the stage floor while the Evil Dragon King stared at Cloud from behind Angelina with a bewildered look on his face), slowly kneel down before her, gently grasped Angelina's right hand in his left hand before he bend his head down to kiss it.

Angelina's eyes widened in surprised (and a little happy) and her face immediately turned red as she stared down at Cloud, who slowly stood up after he kisses her right hand and turn his head to look away from her, his face as red as hers. "Cloud…" Angelina slowly whisper to him (while mentally smiling at Cloud's shy attitude) before she realised her mistake and quickly corrected herself. "I mean… Alfred…"

"Aarrggaahhhh!" the Evil Dragon King roared angrily, causing both Angelina and Cloud to turned around and glance at him. "Curses… The power of… love!" the Evil Dragon King was then yanked backward away from the stage and out of the sights of the audiences.

"Oh… look!" said the king in a loud voice filled with joy/delight toward the audiences after the Evil Dragon King was out of their sight (and which make both Cloud and Angelina to turned around and glance at him). "True love… has triumphed! Now let us all return… And celebrate."

"Yes, let's… yes, let's…" said both the wizard and the knight in a cheering tone of voice together before the wizard, the knight and the king rose up on the tips of their toes and began to twirl off to their left off the stage, with both Cloud and Angelina following suit behind them until all of them are out of the audiences sights.

Once all of the cast members are gone from the stage, the narrator guy stepped out onto the stage and turned to glance at the audiences. "Oh, how profound the power of true love… And thus the legendary hero Alfred and our story live on happily ever after."

The audiences erupted into loud cheering and clapping after the narrator guy bowed his head down to the audiences before he turned to his right and walked away from the empty stage.

XXXX

Both Cloud and Angelina jumped out of the hole and landed on the floor back inside the main station of Gold Saucer (after they say farewell to the entire cast members in the Event Square) and they noticed that the male staff member who had told them about the entertaining show in Event Square was no longer standing near the hole leading to the Event Square.

"Heh, that show just now was quite entertaining and funny, Cloud." said Angelina with a smile on her face as she turned to glance at him. "And I especially like how shy you were after you kiss my hand, Cloud. That was quite cute and sweet of you."

Cloud's face turn red again when he heard what Angelina just said and he lowered his head to look at the ground, which make Angelina chuckle at his shy attitude. "Hey, wanna go on the Gondola next, Cloud?" Angelina asked Cloud.

"Yeah, sure." replied Cloud in a small voice without lifting his head from the floor to look at Angelina. Angelina smile again at Cloud before she grabbed hold of his hand, pulled him toward the hole with the words Round Square written above it and they both jumped into the hole. After they both arrived in the Round Square and look around the place, Angelina was a little glad to see that there was no other people around other than one of the Gold Saucer staff member standing inside the ticket booth (which had a huge and fat yellow Chocobo built and placed above it) near the empty Gondola waiting at the dock.

"2 tickets, please." said Angelina to the woman standing inside the ticket booth (after both she and Cloud approach the ticket booth) with a smile on her face.

The woman nodded before she pull 2 tickets out from her right pockets and handed it over to Angelina through the slot hole of the ticket booth. "Here you are, miss, 2 tickets. Enjoy the nightly sights of Gold Saucer." the woman said to Angelina, who take the 2 tickets, pay for it and nodded to her before both she and Cloud stepped into the empty gondola.

After both Cloud and Angelina stepped into the gondola and sat down on the hard, polished wooden bench opposite each other beside the huge open window nearby them (with two more open window behind them both), the automatic doors of the gondola closed swiftly after they sat down on the benches and both Cloud and Angelina soon felt the gondola shudder to life, began to move away from the Round Square station to began its long winding trek around the Gold Saucer.

"Oh, it's so pretty." said Angelina with awed in her voice and on her face as she look out through the open window and watched as the gondola brought them both close toward the Speed Square and she could see several rollercoaster cars (filled with peoples who scream loudly in pure joy as they sat inside the rollercoaster cars over the track and fairground music blaring around them) zooms their way along the tracks that wound its way in and out of the Speed Square and filled with dozens of round-shaped, yellow-coloured lights on them while other brightly-coloured lights move around playfully like coloured searchlights/beacons as they light up the night sky and the moon.

The gondola then rose upward, bringing both Cloud and Angelina (who's still looking out the window) away from the Speed Square and toward the next square, which turns out to be the Chocobo Square.

"Oh! Look, Cloud. The riders and their racing Chocobos!" said Angelina as she quickly motioned for Cloud to look out the window with a wave of her right hand and Cloud look out the open window with her. They watched as the Chocobos with their different and interesting colours on their feathery bodies races on through the long race track with a yellow spotlight following/shining down on them as their riders(who's riding on them) pushed their Chocobos onwards to the finishing line. At one point, the Chocobos and their riders passed by close enough to the edge of the race track near the gondola which both Cloud and Angelina are sitting/riding in that they both immediately had the same thoughts of holding their hands out to touch one of the Chocobos as it ran past but they didn't do it.

The gondola then rode pass the Chocobo Square and began to rise up into the air again, moving away from the side of the Gold Saucer and into a position high above the top of the Gold Saucer and all of its square areas. At that very second, dozens of bright flashes of coloured lights lit up from outside the gondola, followed by a loud, piercing banging sounds which pierces the other sounds of the Gold Saucer. Cloud jumped a little at the sudden piercing/banging sounds outside the gondola while Angelina let out a little gasp of shock/delight before she smiled joyfully at what she saw in the night sky through the open window, which turns out to be fireworks.

Soon dozens of brightly-coloured fireworks lit up the night sky, causing the night sky surrounding the Gold Saucer (and the gondola riding above it) to come alive in various beautiful colours and flames.

"… It's really beautiful, isn't it, Cloud?" said Angelina to Cloud with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, it is beautiful, Angie." said Cloud as he nodded his head in agreement to Angelina while watching her staring at the fireworks outside (and mentally admired how pretty Angelina look like tonight in the gondola).

"I saw that, Cloud." said Angelina as she look away from the window to glance at Cloud.

"Saw what, Angie?" said Cloud.

"The way you look at me just now when I look at the pretty fireworks outside." said Angelina.

"Oh, uh…" said Cloud as he raised his left hand to scratch the back of his head, feeling his face turn red again. " _Great, she caught me looking at her."_

Angelina chuckled when she saw his face turn red again. "It's okay, Cloud. I don't mind it at all. In fact, I think I like this shy part of you."

"Oh, really, Angie?" asked Cloud as the redness on his face slowly fade away and he mentally smile when he heard what Angelina just said to him.

"Yeah, Cloud." replied Angelina as she continue glancing at him.

"I'm a little glad to hear that, Angie." said Cloud with a small smile on his face.

Both Cloud and Angelina then spend the rest of the gondola ride in silence while they glance out the window to stared at the fireworks, which is still flaring and brightening the night sky as the gondola rode on until the gondola make its final turn around the Gold Saucer building before it slowly and steadily began to descend itself down to the Round Square station from where it had started. When the gondola finally came to silent stop near the dock, the automatic doors of the gondola opened and both Cloud and Angelina stepped out through the gondola doors and onto the platform floor. After they stepped out of the gondola, Angelina immediately turned around to glance at Cloud.

"Tonight was quite fun, isn't it, Cloud?" Angelina asked him. "Do you enjoy it?"

"Yeah, I do enjoy it, Angie." replied Cloud with a small smile on his face. "Except for the play, that is. And thanks for asking me to come with you."

"You're welcome, Cloud." said Angelina, smiling at Cloud before she chuckle as she thought back about the play. "We should come here again the next time, Cloud."

"Alright then." said Cloud with a nod of his head to Angelina before both he and Angelina turned and left the Round Square together.

XXXX

The main station was empty when Cait Sith, Nina and Carter jumped out of the Ghost Square hole, landed on the main station floor and the 3 of them quickly glance around the place and they sighed in relieved when they didn't see anyone around. Cait Sith, Nina and Carter then walked toward the Battle Square hole, halted in their tracks and Cait Sith swiftly pull out a small brown-coloured leather pouch from inside the Mog-machine which he control to untie it while both Nina and Carter watched him do it. The 3 of them was so involved in their own work that they failed to noticed both Cloud and Angelina jumping out from the Round Square hole from behind them, landed on the floor with ease before they noticed Cait Sith, Nina and Carter standing in front of them.

"Hey, Cloud? Aren't they Cait Sith, Nina and Carter? What are they doing over there?" asked Angelina curiously to Cloud, who shrugged his shoulders.

Cait Sith finally untied the pouch, tilted it upside-down and a round-shaped, blue-coloured stone with peculiar markings on it dropped out of the pouch, landed on Cait Sith's right palm and he hold it up in front of him, Nina and Carter to the ceiling light to admire its brilliance. Both Cloud and Angelina instantly widened their eyes in shocked when they saw and recognized the stone which Cait Sith held above him in his right palm.

"Hey, Cloud! Isn't that…" said Angelina in a shocked tone of voice to Cloud.

"… Yeah, the Keystone." Cloud finished saying her sentence before he glared and yelled angrily at the 3 of them. "Hey! Cait Sith, Nina, Carter!"

Cait Sith, Nina and Carter jumped in surprised when they heard the sudden yell of Cloud's angry voice from behind them (which nearly causes Cait Sith to dropped the Keystone) before they quickly jumped into the hole leading to the Battle Square. Both Cloud and Angelina immediately run forward to the hole and they jumped into it as well in pursuit of Cait Sith, Nina and Carter.

Both Cloud and Angelina emerged from the tube into the Battle Square, look around and they saw Cait Sith, Nina and Carter run straight into the tube next to the one which they just came out from leading to the Wonder Square and they quickly run into the tube after them, chased after the 3 of them through the crowds walking around in the Wonder Square then into the Speed Square, where they saw the 3 of them hiding unsuccessfully behind 3 Gold Saucer staff members wearing Chocobo costumes and as both Cloud and Angelina swiftly approach both Cait Sith and Carter in their hiding place, Cait Sith saw them both coming and he immediately threw the Keystone at Nina, who grabbed it after she came out from her own hiding place, turned and jumped into the hole leading to the Chocobo Square.

Cloud cursed under his breath when both he and Angelina saw Cait Sith threw the Keystone to Nina, who jumped into the hole away from them after she get the Keystone from Cait Sith and just as they were about to turned away from both Cait Sith and Carter to go after her, both Cait Sith and Carter immediately got in their way and both Cloud and Angelina quickly shoved them both out of their way before they jumped into the hole and heading toward the Chocobo Square.

They emerged from the tube, landed on the stairs in front of the Chocobo Arena, look up and they soon saw Nina running rapidly up the stairs away from them and straight into the Chocobo Arena. Both Cloud and Angelina run up the stairs and into the Chocobo Arena after her, spotted Nina as she try to blend herself within the crowd (who's screaming/cheering for the races which they bet on) to no avail and she quickly run deeper into the screaming/cheering crowd when she saw that both Cloud and Angelina had spotted her and they run into the crowd after her.

Both Cloud and Angelina chased after Nina through the crowd before she run out through the front doors of the Arena, run down the stairs and joined up with both Cait Sith and Carter (who just came out from the Wonder Square tube) before the 3 of them turned and glance up at the night sky, saw a helicopter with the Shinra logo on the left side of it approaching the Chocobo Square and they began calling out frantically to the helicopter just as both Cloud and Angelina came running out of the front doors of the Arena and saw the 3 of them calling out to the Shinra helicopter.

"Hey!" Cait Sith called out loudly to the helicopter and he, Nina and Carter soon saw the left side door of the helicopter open outward to reveal Tseng, who's standing near the edge of the opened helicopter door and staring down at them.

"Here's the Keystone, Tseng! Take it!" Nina called out to Tseng before she threw the Keystone toward Tseng, who managed to catch it in his hands, glance down at it then glance at Cait Sith, Nina and Carter and he nodded to them.

"Well done, you 3." Tseng called down to Cait Sith, Nina and Carter before he step back into the safety of the helicopter and they watched as the left side-door of the helicopter closed up before the helicopter rise up and away from the Chocobo Square, turned to its right and flew off into the night.

Cait Sith, Nina and Carter sighed in relieved together, glad that they had completed their mission before they turned around to glance at both Cloud and Angelina, who came running down the stairs and halted in their tracks before them with anger, disbelief and betrayal looks on their faces and in their eyes.

"Hey! How could the 3 of you just do that?" said Cloud angrily at them.

"Are the 3 of you spies working for Shinra?" demanded Angelina as she glared at them.

"W, wait a second, you 2!" said Cait Sith in a slightly nervous tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina while both Nina and Carter stay silent behind Cait Sith. "We won't run and hide from the two of you. And yes, the 3 of us are spies, Angelina. We worked for Shinra company."

"We trusted you 3!" said Angelina as she shake her head in disbelief. "And yet you 3 went and did this to us!"

"It's not like we can help it." said Cait Sith as he shrug his shoulders. "How bout' if we all continue on as though nothing ever happened?"

"No way, cat!" growled Cloud angrily at Cait Sith. "You and your 2 spy friends with you gotta lot of guts acting like friends to us but being spies behind our backs!"

"Then, what are you goin' to do? Kill us?" said Carter as he tilted his head questioningly at Cloud. "You'd just be wasting your time and energy on us anyway."

"Why you…" Cloud growled at Carter and just as he's about to charge toward Carter and beat him to a nearly bloody pulp, Angelina right hand on his shoulder stop him from doing so.

"Calm down, Cloud." said Angelina as she glance at Cloud. "Beating them up isn't going to get us anywhere."

"See? Exactly! Like what Angelina just said." said Cait Sith with a triumph nod of his head. "Talking and beating won't do us any good, so can't we just continue our journey?"

"You think we're jokin!?" Cloud snapped fiercely at Cait Sith.

Cait Sith sighed and lowered his head while Nina patted his shoulder to comfort him before she glance at both Cloud and Angelina and began speaking to them. "… It's true that the 3 of us are working for Shinra company. But that doesn't mean that we're complete enemies. And… something bothers me, Cait Sith and Carter for a while now when we join with you guys on your journey. We think that it could be both your way of lifes. The 2 of you and your other friends/companions don't get your paid or praise, yet all of you still risked your lives and continue on your journey. Seeing you guys like that makes us… think about our own lives. That's why we don't think that we'll feel good if things ended the way they are now."

"You really think that by saying those sympathy words to us, we could just forget what you 3 just did?" grumbled Angelina under her breath.

"They'll never tell the truth, Angie." Cloud said to her. "Once they're spies, they'll always be spies. We can't go on with people like these 3. C'mon, get real!"

"… just as I thought." said Cait Sith as he shake his head and sighed again. "Talking won't make a tiny bit of difference. But I prepared something just in case this happened. Why don't the two of you listen to this?" Cait Sith then glance at Nina, nodded to her and both Cloud and Angelina watched as Nina pull out a radio from inside her pants pocket, turn it on and they soon heard a loud static noise coming from it before the static noise settle down and they heard a small, meek and familiar girl's voice calling out to them.

"Papa! Tifa!"

Cloud jumped in horror and Angelina gasped and covered her mouth with her hands when they recognized the small, meek girl's voice as Marlene. Someone which they thought was safe somewhere inside Midgar, with Wren and Aeris's mother, Elmyra.

"That's Marlene's voice, Cloud!" gasped Angelina as she glance at Cloud.

Marlene's voice in the radio let out a quick and sharp gasp when she heard and recognized Angelina's voice and Marlene immediately called out to her. "Hey, is that you, Angelina? Angelina…"

"That's enough, Nina. Shut it off." said Cait Sith as he glance at Nina and she nodded before turning off the radio and he glance back at both Cloud and Angelina. "…So, the 2 of you will have to do as we say."

"…You 3 are the lowest…" Cloud growled angrily at Cait Sith, Nina and Carter while he clench and shake his fists.

"We didn't want to do this…" Nina began saying in a sad tone of voice to them. "Using dirty tricks and taking hostages…"

"But this is how it is…. No compromises." Cait Sith continue saying to them. "So why don't we all continue on as we did? Come, Nina, Carter."

Both Nina and Carter nodded to Cait Sith before the 3 of them turned and began to walked slowly up the stairs away from both Cloud and Angelina, who's still in silent anger at them. Cait Sith, Nina and Carter then halted in their tracks near the tube with the words Ghost Square written on it and turned back to glance down at them.

"Tomorrow is the Temple of the Ancients, right? We know where it is, so we'll tell the 2 of you and the rest of your friends/companions later." Cait Sith told both Cloud and Angelina. "Of course, we'll get there after the Shinra, but you 2 and the rest of your friends/companions will have to deal with it."

After Cait Sith's done telling the both of them about it, he, Nina and Carter turned and stepped into the tube which brings them towards the Ghost Square. After the 3 of them are gone, both Cloud and Angelina stood silently at the bottom of the stairs, unable to say anything.

"…Well, looks like we're stuck, Angie…" said Cloud to Angelina, breaking the silence. "We'll have to do what they says."

"…Do you think that Marlene, Wren and Aeris mother are alright now, Cloud?" Angelina asked him.

"…I hope so, Angie." replied Cloud as he glance at Angelina, who slowly nodded to him before they turned, walked up the stairs toward the Ghost Square tube and stepped into it.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45: Heading to the Temple of the Ancients**

Complete chaos almost broke out from the rest of Cloud's friends/companions the next day (after they all woke up from their slumbers, left their bedrooms and headed down the stairs toward the main hall) when both he and Angelina decided to told them all about what Cait Sith, Nina and Carter had done in front of the both of them the night before after they left the hotel, especially on Barret, who immediately charge toward Cait Sith, Nina and Carter, wanted to kill the 3 of them brutally right then and there with his bare hand and gun-arm when he heard about Marlene being in Shinra's hands and it took the combined efforts/strengths of Kunsel, Selwyn, Cid and Vincent to hold him back (and they end up with some bruises on their bodies after the 4 of them managed to hold him back), on Aeris, who immediately worry for her mother, Marlene and Wren's safety and on Laina, who gave the 3 of them a dark and cold look when she heard about Wren being in Shinra's hands, just like both Marlene and Aeris's mother while Tifa, Kunsel, Selwyn and Cid glared at Cait Sith, Nina and Carter (who were unable to bring themselves to glance at everyone) except for both Red XIII and Vincent, who's had no expressions on both their faces.

A few minutes after they finally calming down, Cait Sith then stepped forward and began talking to all of them. "About the Temple of the Ancients. I think if we take the Tiny Bronco East toward the ocean, we should be able to find it." said Cait Sith as he look around at everyone, who turn their heads to look away from him (except for Laina, Red XIII and Vincent). "Well then, shall we get goin'? Who's gonna go?"

"I want to go!" said Aeris firmly before she glance at both Cloud and Angelina. "I'm going for sure!"

Both Cloud and Angelina nodded to her before they and their friends/companions turned around and leave the hotel.

XXXX

A very long while after Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions leave the Gold Saucer building and the North Corel village, rode on the Tiny Bronco plane (with Cid driving/sailing it) and on the boat tied behind its tail, headed east then pull both the plane and the boat up to the sandy beach after they've arrived before they begin their long walk across the grassy plains and into the ancient forest that loomed in front of them in the distance. After Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions stepped into and trekked across the forest (which immediately causes some of them to begin sweating and gasping for breath due to the damp and thick moisture of the warm air within the forest), they finally arrived at the mysterious Temple of the Ancients (which was built to look almost like a step-pyramid which still looks intact and in good condition after many years of disrepair/neglect, with a large, tall and strong-looking stone wall around the temple which keeps on guarding it despite semi-large parts of its wall lying in crumbling heaps on the ground and with a deep rocky pit surrounding the wall filled with a thick white mist in it and the only way across the deep rocky pit was over a rickety wooden old bridge leading through a doorless entrance into the temple).

Aeris immediately broke away from Cloud, Angelina and the others when she saw the temple in front of her, make her way slowly and carefully across the rickety wooden old bridge (which make the bridge under her feet began to shake and quiver before the bridge steady itself when it senses Aeris as one of their own) before she came to a stop in the middle of the bridge, senses the invisible presences of other ancient and powerful forces around her (which make her body tingled with a strange and cool feeling) and she slowly closes her eyes and kneel down on the bridge, opening her heart and soul presences/voices around her.

"This is… the Temple of the Ancients…" said Aeris in a small clear tone of voice which got heard by Cloud, Angelina and the others standing behind her. "I… I know… I feel it… The vast knowledge of the Ancients… floating… You could become one with the Planet, but you're stopping it with the strength of will. For the future? For us?"

Aeris felt the invisible presences pressing against her body, trying to probe into her heart and soul for understanding, which make her shudder a little but she knew that the presences would not hurt her. Aeris then felt a cool hand touching her shoulder (which broke the connection between her and the invisible presences) and she opened her eyes to look at whoever it is behind her and saw that its Laina with both Cloud and Angelina standing behind her (who were staring down at Aeris with concern looks on their faces).

"What are you saying, Aeris? Can you understand them?" said both Cloud and Angelina to Aeris at the same time while Laina just stared at her in silence.

Aeris glance at Cloud, Angelina and Laina for a few more seconds before she felt the invisible presences pressing against her body again and she slowly stood up with Cloud, Angelina and Laina before she gently brush Laina's hand away from her shoulder, turned and run across the bridge through the doorless entrance in the wall, run and halted in her tracks on the stairs of the temple, trying to listen to the faint voices talking to her (while Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions run carefully across the bridge after her and halted in their tracks at the doorless entrance in the wall, staring at Aeris).

"You're uneasy… But happy?" said Aeris as she slowly look around her. "Because I'm here? I'm sorry… I don't understand." Aeris ceased talking when she felt the same invisible presences caressed her cheeks slowly before the presences probe into her body and mind, touching her heart and soul again. Aeris closed her eyes again and nodded her head to the invisible presences probing her before she open her eyes, felt the invisible presences ceased their probing of her and she turned and run down the stairs back to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others.

"I want to go inside!" proclaimed Aeris in an enthusiastic tone of voice to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others (which make them jumped a little before they composed themselves). Cloud, Angelina and Laina then nodded to her before the 3 of them followed after Aeris, who turned around and began leading the 3 of them up the long stairs of the temple which were steep and tightly packed (while the rest of their friends/companions decided to wait for them outside the temple), reached the top of the stairs and they catch their breath a little while they look around the stony platform they're standing on with a shadowy doorless entrance in front of them (and they also noticed another black cape man lying sideways on the platform floor near the shadowy doorway before he slowly stood up, muttered the words "Black Materia" to them before he fell down onto the platform floor again and disappear into the Lifestream).

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris went through the shadowy doorway, look around at the interior of the temple (which was nothing more than a small and simple room with four stone pillars supporting/holding up the cracked ceiling above them) and they saw 2 turks members (Tseng and Mark) sitting on the ground with their backs leaning against a semi-large stone altar in the middle of the room with 2 flaming torches behind the stone altar, trying to hold together the terrible bleeding slash wounds on their chest with their hands (which is soaked thickly with their own blood now).

"Hey! It's Tseng!" gasped Aeris (which make both Tseng and Mark slowly lifted their heads to glance up at them).

"And his fellow turk named Mark." said Laina before she approach then kneel down near both Tseng and Mark and began using "Pulse of Life" limit break on them both to healed the bleeding slash wounds on their chests.

"Tseng and Mark? Of the Turks!?" said Cloud with a surprised look on his face.

"What happened to you 2?" asked Angelina as she glance down at both Tseng and Mark.

"Ugh… We've been had." muttered Tseng through gritted teeth as both he and Mark slowly stood up from the ground and the stone altar which their backs leaned on (after Laina managed to stem the bleeding and closed the slash wounds on their chests) and stagger/limped their way past Laina (who stood up as well) toward Cloud, Angelina and Aeris and halted in their tracks in front of them.

"We were wrong…" muttered Mark to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris with a grimaced look on his face. "It's not the Promised Land… Sephiroth's searching for… all this time…"

"Sephiroth!?" said Angelina as she widened her eyes and felt her head began to throb a little.

"He's inside!?" said Cloud as he felt his head began to throb as well.

"Look… for yourselves… all 4 of you…" mumbled Mark as he raised his left hand and pointed toward the stone altar behind him and Tseng before he turned to his right, stagger away from Tseng, Cloud and his friends/companions toward one of the pillar next to him, turned and leaned his back against the pillar.

"Damn…" said Tseng in a soft voice as he glance at Aeris and clench his left hand into a fist. "Letting Aeris go was the start… of our… bad luck… The President… was wrong…"

"You're wrong." said Aeris in a fierce tone of voice as she narrowed her eyes at Tseng. "The Promised Land isn't like what you and the President imagined." Aeris then turned to look away from Tseng, feeling tears started to glisten in her eyes and her shoulders shake a little. "And, I'm not going to help. Either way, there was no way Shinra could have won." Aeris ceased talking, turned and run between 2 pillars next to the 1 which Mark leaned his back on, her back to Tseng (who continue glance at her with sad, longing eyes), Mark, Cloud, Angelina and Laina (who glance at her with sympathies on their faces and in their eyes).

"… Pretty harsh." said Tseng as he glance away from Aeris back to Cloud, Angelina and Laina. "Sounds like something… you'd say." Tseng ceased talking before his left hand (which is shaking now) reached into his left pants pocket, pull out the Keystone and held it out to Cloud, who saw it and quickly took it from him.

"The Keystone… Place it… on… the altar…" Tseng told Cloud in a strained tone of voice before he turned to his left toward the pillar, turned around and leaned his back against it, just like what Mark did seconds ago.

After Tseng hand the Keystone back to Cloud and walked toward one of the pillars to his left, Laina walked over to Aeris, heard her quiet sobbing and she turned away from her.

"Are you crying, Aeris?" said Laina.

Aeris slowly shook her head when she heard Laina's words, wipe her tears away and turned around to glance at her back. "… Tseng's with our enemy, the Turks, but I've known him ever since we were childrens… There's not a lot of people I can say that about. In fact, there are probably only a small handful of people in the world who really know me." Aeris told Laina in a small tone of voice.

"I see." said Laina.

Both Aeris and Laina then approach both Cloud and Angelina, who had gone over to the stone altar and was looking down at it with interest in their eyes. The 4 of them saw that the stone altar before them was just a simple rising blocks of smooth-looking stones with a small number of spherical-shaped groove slot-holes on the surface, which were a variety of different sizes and only 1 of the slot-holes is big enough for the Keystone to fit into.

Cloud glance at Angelina, Laina and Aeris, saw them nodded to him and he nodded back to them before he lowered and placed the Keystone into the slot-hole. After Angelina, Laina and Aeris watched as Cloud placed the Keystone into the slot-hole and waited for a few seconds, they soon saw the Keystone began to glow a mysterious shade of purplish-blue coloured light, heard a deep humming sound which resonated from within the stone altar (which means that the temple is slowly opening/activating itself) and without any warning, Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris were abruptly sucked straight down into the temple floor which they stood on, vanished from the altar room before they slowly rose up a few minutes later through a different floor and found themselves standing (and staring around) within a different kind of huge place filled with dozens paths, tunnels, stairs and doorless rooms around them which intertwined together to create one very complicated maze.

"Words… feelings… So many of them here." said Aeris as she look at the huge and complicated maze place around her with wide eyes and an awed look on her face.

"What a peculiar place." said Angelina as she glance around the place before glancing at Aeris. "Do you think that we're welcome here, Aeris?" Angelina asked Aeris and received a nod from her in reply.

"No exits around." said Laina to Cloud, Angelina and Aeris as she glance around the huge maze place carefully and thoroughly. "We can't turn back."

Cloud heard what Laina just said, mentally groaned and raised his left hand to scratched the back of his head. " _Great, just what I was afraid of."_ Cloud thought to himself. " _We can't escape from this place if we were in trouble and can't get help if me or Angie or Laina or Aeris got hurt from the rest of our friends/companions waiting for us outside."_

"…Cloud!" Aeris's voice called out in front of him suddenly and he glance at her. "I know that it's going to be tough, but… Don't give it! We can do it!"

"Yeah, we know that, Aeris." replied Cloud with a small nod of his head before the 4 of them begin their walking/exploring around the huge maze place.

As Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris (who helped guided them through the complicated maze without getting lost in it) walked on across the dozens of rocky paths, went through the dozens of short tunnels, walked up then down the dozens of stairs, climbing up the ivy vines growing against some of the walls of the huge maze and went into dozens of rooms (while collecting treasures from treasure boxes which scatters around the maze place like Trident, Turbo Ether, Rocket Punch, Lucky Plus Materia, Silver Rifle and Mind Source, fought some Kelzmelzers, Under Lizards, Toxic Frogs and Doorbulls monsters which appear before them and they met a kind of harmless creature wearing blue robes on its body down to its ankles, a faded brown-coloured hat on its head which covered its face who flee when it saw them and they chase after it until they finally cornered it inside one of the rooms, realised that it has lose the ability to talk to them after many years so they decided to leave it be in the room) until they went into a dark room, walk up another set of stairs onto a rocky corridor and immediately halted in their tracks when they saw several giant circle of heavy condensed stones appearing from the shadow at the top of the corridor, rolling across it then disappear into the shadow in front of them.

"This rolling of giant rocks across the corridor is going to be a little difficult for us to continue on." said Laina as she glance at the huge rocks rolling down the corridor in front of her, Cloud, Angelina and Aeris.

"Don't worry, Laina!" said Aeris in a reassuring tone of voice to her. "We can avoid the huge rolling rocks and walk across the corridor! I know we can! Just a little bit more!"

Cloud, Angelina and Laina glance at Aeris and nodded to her before the 4 of them stepped out and run down the corridor (with Aeris leading and helping/guiding them through) past another short path to their left leading into a rocky platform room with a circular pool of pale purplish-coloured swirling water inside it and they quickly kneel down on the ground when the huge rocks came rolling down toward them and they managed to avoid getting squashed by the rocks due to the gaps in the rocks. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris keep this up until they finally reach the top of the corridor and the huge rocks ceased appearing from the shadows and rolling down the corridor.

"Phew- we did it, everyone!" said Aeris cheerfully to Cloud, Angelina and Laina.

"That was a close call." said Angelina as she sighed in relieved.

"Everyone all right? That sure took quite a lot out of us." asked Cloud as he glance at Angelina, Laina and Aeris.

"All of us are all right, Cloud." replied Laina with a nod of her head.

Aeris glance at them with a happy/relieved smile on her face before her smile abruptly vanish when she felt a sudden pain rises from within the depths of her soul and she raised her left hand to hold her chest. She then turned around, saw the short path leading into the rocky platform with the pool of pale purplish-coloured swirling water in it and she quickly turn to look back at Cloud, Angelina and Laina with a desperate and fearful look on her face.

"What's wrong now, Aeris?" said Laina when she noticed the desperate/fearful look on Aeris's face.

"Cloud, Angelina, Laina. Come quick! Hurry, this way!" Aeris told them quickly before she turned around and run down the corridor toward the rocky platform.

Cloud, Angelina and Laina immediately run down the corridor after her (and all 3 of them felt the danger getting bigger /greater the more they descended into the temple), turned to their right, run into the rocky platform, halted in their tracks before the circular pool of pale purplish-coloured swirling water and they saw Aeris standing on the other side of the pool (which began to glow brightly now) and looking down at it.

"This pool is filled with the knowledge of the Ancients." Aeris told Cloud, Angelina and Laina (who watched her) in an anxious/fearful tone of voice as she stared down at it. "No… not knowledge… consciousness… a living soul…" Aeris briefly raised her arms and lowered it. "It's trying to say something." Aeris then kneel down on the platform ground and peered into the pool. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

Cloud, Angelina and Laina watched as Aeris shook her head before she lie down flat onto the platform ground and lowered her right arm into the pale purplish-coloured water.

"What? What is it?" Aeris asked the pool of pale purplish-coloured water, heard the whispered words of the Ancients in her ears and mind before she pull her right arm out of the water and slowly stood up. "…Danger? An evil… consciousness? …show? You're going to show me? Show us?"

After Aeris ceased her talking, the pool of pale purplish-coloured water began to glow even more brightly than before and Aeris (who stepped back from the glowing pool), Cloud, Angelina and Laina immediately raised their hands to shield their eyes from the glowing bright light of the pool which expands/filled the entire corridor around them. After a few seconds, the bright light finally dimmed down and as Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris lowered their hands and opened their eyes, they saw that they're no longer standing on the rocky platform with the pool of pale purplish-coloured water in it. Instead they're now standing in a wide and vast room with tall, thick and strong walls around them with markings/murals painted on the walls in mixtures of ancient paints and stone carvings, several wooden flaming torches lining up against the walls and a large stone door at the far end of the wide and vast room to their left.

"…What's going on?" said Cloud with a confused look on his face as he turn to glance at Aeris.

"…Where are we now?" said Angelina as she turn to glance at Aeris as well.

"Just wait, you 2!" said Aeris as she glance at them both. "It's showing us!"

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris lapsed into silence and watched as three people wearing black suits, white shirts with black neckties on them appear suddenly before them and standing in front of the walls with markings/murals painted on them, staring up at the walls and they recognized the three people as Tseng, Mark and Elena of the Turks.

" _Tseng, what's this?" asked Elena as she turn to glance at him while raising/waving her right hand toward the markings/murals on the walls. "Can we find the Promised Land with this?"_

"… _I wonder." replied Tseng with a shrug of his shoulders before he turn to glance at Elena while Mark continue to stare at the markings/murals on the walls behind Elena. "Anyway, we have to report to the President."_

 _Elena nodded to Tseng, ran past him and Mark toward the large stone door before she halted in her tracks and turned around to glance at both Tseng and Mark. "Be careful, Tseng, Mark." said Elena in a worry/concern tone of voice to them._

" _Yeah…" said Tseng as he turned around to glance at her. "Hey, Elena, how 'bout dinner after this job's done?"_

 _Elena widened her eyes in surprised (and a little happy) when she heard what Tseng just said to her before she recover her composure and nodded to him (while Mark smirked from behind Tseng). "Th… Thank you very much, Tseng. If I may be excused…" said Elena to Tseng before she bow her head quickly to him, turned around and run toward the large stone door._

 _After Elena had left the room, Tseng slowly lowered and shook his head a little before he turned around, walked away from Mark closer toward the wall, looked up at the main marking/mural which dominated most of the wall (and which send shivers down his spine), trying to figure it out._

" _Is this the Promised Land?" said Tseng aloud to himself as he continue looking up at the main marking/mural on the wall. "No, it can't be…"_

" _What is it, Tseng?" said Mark as he turned to his right, approach Tseng and glance up at the wall with the main marking/mural on it which Tseng is looking at._

As Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris continue staring at both Tseng and Mark in silence, a sudden flash of white and a draft of freezing cold air seeped into Cloud and Angelina's bodies, causing the both of them to shudder and they quickly covered their bodies with their arms from the sudden chilling aura seeping into their bodies, glance at both Laina and Aeris and saw that they're both alright before they saw the transparent form of Sephiroth walked slowly past in front of them and behind the 2 oblivious Turks, holding his Masamune sword firmly in his right hand. He turned his head to glance at Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris, smirk evilly at them before he glance and walked away from them then appearing and kneeling down close to both Tseng and Mark in the room, his entire body glowed eerily/faintly with a kind of white light before the white light disappear from his body and he slowly stood up to glance at both Tseng and Mark, who turned around and saw Sephiroth standing near them with surprised/horror looks on their faces.

" _Sephiroth!" said Tseng as he glance at him._

" _This is Sephiroth?" said Mark as he glance at Tseng, who nodded._

" _So, you opened the door." said Sephiroth as he glance at Tseng with a small, cold smile on his face. "Well done."_

" _This place… what is it?" Tseng asked Sephiroth as he took a few steps forward away from Mark and stop in front of him._

" _A lost treasure house of knowledge. The wisdom of the Ancients…" replied Sephiroth as he turned away from Tseng and slowly spread both of his arms wide (while his right hand still holds his Masamune sword) and staring up at the ceiling. "I am becoming one with the Planet."_

" _One with the Planet?" said Tseng, confused._

" _What do you mean by that?" said Mark._

Unknown to both Tseng and Mark, a second transparent form of Sephiroth appear in the room, walked away from the real Sephiroth, Tseng and Mark, stopped in his tracks in the middle of the room and spread his arms out in a kind of holy gesture. Both Tseng and Mark didn't see the second transparent form of Sephiroth but Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris did.

 _The real Sephiroth lowered his arms, turned around to glance up at the markings/murals on the walls. "You ignorant, stupid fools." said Sephiroth in a cold and harsh tone of voice to both Tseng and Mark, which make them flinch and gulped a little. "You have never even thought about it. All the spirit energy of this Planet. All of its wisdom… knowledge… I will meld with it all. I will become one with it… it will become one with me."_

" _Seriously?" said Mark._

"… _You can do that?" said Tseng with an even more confused look on his face._

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris watched as the second transparent form of Sephiroth lowered his arms and stared straight at them in silence.

" _The way… lies here." Sephiroth said to both Tseng and Mark before he turned to glance at them, raised his Masamune sword in both of his hands and he charge toward them and slashes their bodies with his Masamune sword before they could do or say anything and they fell backward onto the floor of the room, holding their bleeding chest wounds with their hands._

" _Only death awaits you all. But do not fear." said Sephiroth as he glance down at both Tseng and Mark at the same time a bright red aura shine brightly in the room. "For it is through death that a new spirit energy is born. Soon, you will live again as a part of me."_

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris watched as the real Sephiroth began to laugh evilly to himself in the room while the second transparent form of Sephiroth smiled coldly at the 4 of them before he flew up and disappear into the ceiling. The bright red aura light in the room glow more brightly after he left, causing Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris to shield their eyes with their arms again and when the bright red aura light dimmed down and they lowered their arms and opened their eyes, they saw that they're back in the stone platform, standing in front of the circular pool of pale purplish-coloured water again.

"Did all of you see it?" Aeris asked Cloud, Angelina and Laina in a frighten tone of voice after she run around the circular pool of pale purplish-coloured water and joined up with the 3 of them.

"…Yeah, we did, Aeris." replied Angelina with a nervous nod of her slightly shaking head.

"… The illusion which the Ancients just show us from the pool is terrible." said Laina with a grim look on her face.

"…Where is the room with the markings/murals painted on the walls?" Cloud asked Aeris as he glance at her.

"We're almost there…" replied Aeris.

"Sephiroth is still here, right, Aeris?" asked Angelina as she glance at Aeris and Aeris nodded to her.

"No matter whatever kind of plan he's thinking, it's going to end here." said Cloud as he glance at Angelina, Laina and Aeris with a determined nod of his head. "I'm taking him out!"

"Same goes for me, Cloud!" said Angelina.

"Don't forget about me and Aeris either, you 2." said Laina and Aeris nodded in agreement.

Cloud glance at the 3 of them and smiled at them before all 4 of them turned around, walked away from the stone platform and the circular pool of water (and they didn't noticed the transparent form of Sephiroth as he floated down from above and sank into the pool), turned to their left to walk down toward the top of the corridor, met the same second harmless creature standing/waiting in a corner at the top of the corridor who smiled silently at them, especially at Aeris before it tilted its head to the right as though telling them to go right and Aeris thanked the creature for telling them where to go next before they turned and walked down another set of stairs, away from the harmless creature and the rocky corridor.


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46: Hearing about Sephiroth plan, battle against Red Dragon and Demon Gate and losing the Black Materia**

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris quickly halted in their tracks when they reached another large, dark pit room which was circular-shaped and almost empty, except for dozens of open doorways that were positioned in the wall around them after all 4 of them left the stone corridor. Each of the doorways had ancient numerals of I to XII carved above them, a stone pedestal which glows a calming/soothing blue-coloured light standing in the middle of the large, dark pit room with 3 long and huge stone hands moving slowly around it, like a huge clock. The hour stone hand is currently stopped just in front of the open door which they're standing at, the X numeral door and before each of them could say or do anything, the calming/soothing blue-coloured light on the stone pedestal began to glow even brighter and they soon saw a transparent figure slowly appearing from the calming/soothing blue-coloured light on the stone pedestal and the transparent figure began speaking to them.

" _I am the Time Guardian, Zen."_ said the transparent figure to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris in a quiet and melodious tone of voice. " _Ye who seek the vast knowledge of the Ancients. I control the time, select your path."_

After the transparent figure is done introducing itself to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris and ceased it's talking, Cloud (with help from Aeris) immediately ordered and spin one of the clock hands from one room to another (so that he and his 3 friends/companions could walked across the clock hand, went into the different rooms to get items/treasures like "Princess Guard", "Ribbon", "Trumpet Shell", "Megalixir" and "Nail Bat") until Cloud stopped the clock hand at the open doorway with the IV numeral above it and he, Angelina, Laina and Aeris walked across the clock hands and went through the open doorway.

When the 4 of them came out of the other side of the open doorway, they look around and saw that they are standing at the top of a rocky ledge with a large stone door against the wall to their right with two more rocky ledges below them with dozens of open doorways against the rocky wall. At the next moment, Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris heard a click sound and they turned their heads to their right, saw a third and same harmless creature came out of the large stone door (after it locked it with an old steel key hanging on a chain around its neck). The harmless creature turned its head to the left, saw Cloud and his 3 friends/companions staring at it and it jumped before it turned to its right and flee away from them into an open doorway in a panic.

Aeris immediately run toward the stone doorway which the harmless creature had just came out from, leaned herself against the door to try to pushed it open with all her strength but to no avail. "Hey! It's locked." said Aeris to Cloud, Angelina and Laina as she stepped back from the closed stone doorway.

"Then we've to chased after it to get the key from the chain around its neck." said Laina.

Aeris nodded to her before she run back toward them. "Are you two getting tired now, Cloud, Angelina?" Aeris asked Cloud.

"Yeah, we both are, Aeris." replied Cloud while Angelina nodded to Aeris.

"Just hang in there, you 2." said Aeris as she smiled softly at both Cloud and Angelina. "Someday we'll look back at these hard times and laugh about it together."

Both Cloud and Angelina (and Laina) looked at her cheerful, smiling face and they nodded and smiled back at her before the 4 of them walked past the closed stone doorway and went into the open doorway next to it in pursuit of the key hanging on the chain around the harmless creature's neck. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris spend the next 20 minutes chasing after the creature who run and dodged each of their attempts to catch it by appearing and disappearing from one open doorway into another until both Cloud and Angelina finally managed to catch the frighten creature in their firm grips, bring it toward Aeris (with Laina standing next to her) who try to talk/explain to it that they mean it no harm. The creature sighed in relieved after it heard her explanation and handed the old steel key over to Aeris, who took the key and thanked the creature for it before they went into 1 of the open doorway against the wall on the ledge, walked up and came out of the open doorway next to the closed stone doorway, turn to their left to approach it and Cloud, Angelina and Laina watched as Aeris slid the key into the lock on the door, turn it around and the 4 of them heard a click sound from the door before they pushed the door open and went into the room.

"This is the room with all of its markings/murals on the walls…" said Aeris to Cloud, Angelina and Laina as she glance around the room.

"Where are you!? Sephiroth!" Cloud called out in anger as he glance around the room for Sephiroth.

"Show yourself!" added Angelina in a loud and angry tone of voice as she glance around the room for him as well.

Right after both Cloud and Angelina yell out for him in the room, a very cold and ominous chill immediately descended upon them in the room which make Aeris stiffen then shiver in cold fear as she senses the approach of a dark and evil presence, make Laina quickly took off her outer long velvet blue coat and placed it over Aeris shivering form when she noticed it (which make Aeris gave her a grateful nod) while both Cloud and Angelina ignored the growing cold chill seeping into their bodies as they continue looking around the room for Sephiroth. The room flash white for a second and suddenly Sephiroth appear in front of them, his entire transparent body is slightly distorted and glowed with a strange white-coloured aura as he kneel down on the ground before he slowly stood up, glance up at the 4 of them with a knowing smile and an evil look on his face and mako green eyes before he slowly spread his arms wide and began to floated up into the air.

"So cold." said Sephiroth to them in a soft and chilling tone of voice. "I am always by your side. Come."

Another flash of light burst through the room, causing Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris to shield their eyes with their arms and when the light dimmed down and they lowered their arms and opened their eyes, they saw that Sephiroth had disappear. Without looking back at both Laina and Aeris, both Cloud and Angelina run forward deeper into the room (with both Laina and Aeris following closely behind them) and halted in their tracks when they saw Sephiroth reappear in front of them, just like before and is now staring up at the markings/murals on the walls instead of them.

"Splendid," said Sephiroth before he turned away from the wall and began walking slowly and silently toward the 4 of them and stopped in front of them. "A treasure house/temple of vast knowledge…"

"What are you talking about, Sephiroth?" demanded Angelina.

"We don't understand what you're saying!" Cloud spat in anger at Sephiroth.

"Cloud, Angelina, calm down!" said Aeris.

"Aeris's right, you 2!" said Laina. "Calm down now!"

Both Cloud and Angelina ignored Aeris and Laina's words to them and Sephiroth focused his cold mako green eyes on both Cloud and Angelina before he began laughing a deep evil laughter that sent shivers down Aeris's back and make her stiffen in cold fear even more (despite having Laina's coat on her) before his body glowed white and he floated up from the floor and disappear from their sights.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris run forward deeper into the room and halted in their tracks for the second time when they saw Sephiroth reappear for the third time and staring up at the markings/murals on the walls (the main one) once again with an evil smile on his face.

"Look well, all of you." said Sephiroth as he turned, walked toward them and stopped in front of them.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris immediately turned their heads to glance up at the main markings/murals on the wall and they saw many people standing together with their heads turned up to the sky and raising their arms above them as though trying to fend off something terrible. Above them, in the "sky" was a huge marking/mural of a flaming rock as it headed down straight toward the people below.

" _My goodness."_ thought Aeris to herself in fear as she continue staring at the wall.

" _Dear Gaia."_ thought Laina, in fear as well.

"At what, exactly!?" asked Cloud to Sephiroth, not understanding what Sephiroth was trying to say to them and completely oblivious to the deep meaning of the main marking/mural on the wall.

"At that which adds to the knowledge of…" Sephiroth told Cloud in an amused tone of voice before he turned to his left and spread his arms wide. "I am becoming one with the Planet." Sephiroth then turned to glance at them and laughed again before his body glowed white and he floated up and disappear from them again.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris run forward deeper into the room after him for the third time and they halted in their tracks when they saw him sitting on the floor and leaning his back against the front of an altar (which had a small model of the entire Temple of the Ancients floated above it) with two flaming torches on the altar's left and right and a stone tablet with Ancient words written on it hanging on the wall behind it while his Masamune sword lie silently across his legs.

"… Mother… it's almost time." mumbled Sephiroth to himself. "Soon… we will become one."

Sephiroth ceased his mumbling before he grab his sword, slowly stood up to his feet and glance at both Cloud and Angelina, who's still glaring hatefully at him.

"How do you intend to become one with the Planet?" Aeris demanded to Sephiroth.

"It's simple." said Sephiroth as he turned to glance at her while tightening his grip on his sword and swing it twice in front of him. "Once the Planet is injured, it gathers spirit energy to heal the injury." Sephiroth turned away from Aeris to glance at Laina and swing his sword twice more in front of him. "The amount of energy gathered depends on the size of the injury."

Sephiroth turned away from Laina to glance back at both Cloud and Angelina, took and raised his sword in both of his hands and stabbed his sword down on the floor with a manic/smiling look on his face. "…What would happened if there was an injury strong enough to threaten the very life of the Planet? Think how much energy would be gathered!" Sephiroth smiled evilly at them before he pulled his sword out from the floor and his body began to glowed white again. "Ha ha ha ha. And at the center of that injury, will be me. All that boundless energy will be mine." Sephiroth swing his sword in front of them once again and narrowly missed Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris. "By merging with all of the energy of the Planet, I will become a new life form, a new existence. Melding with the Planet… I will cease to exist as I am now… Only to be reborn as a "God" to rule over each and every living souls on the Planet."

"An injury powerful enough to destroy the Planet?" said Aeris with fear in her voice. "Injure… the Planet?"

"Behold that marking/mural over there," said Sephiroth as he raised and pointed his sword toward the marking/mural which they had just seen and walked past, the main one with the people and the huge flaming rock in the sky. "The Ultimate Destructive Magic… Meteor."

In that moment his entire plan became clear to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris and both Laina and Aeris gasped in shock and horror while both Cloud and Angelina deepen their glares at Sephiroth.

"That'll never happen!" said Cloud.

"We'll never let you do that!" said Angelina.

Sephiroth smiled evilly at both Cloud and Angelina before his body suddenly became transparent and he rushed forward toward both Cloud and Angelina (who had no time to pull out their sword and naginata weapons) and he passed right through their bodies. Instantly both Cloud and Angelina felt a sharp, powerful and painful electric shock erupted inside both their heads, making them both clutched their heads in agony with their hands while they heard Sephiroth's voice talking to them inside their heads, telling them to "Wake up!". The next second the searing pains disappear from their heads and both Cloud and Angelina immediately look around the room for Sephiroth, ignoring both Laina and Aeris (who also look around the room for him).

"Where are you!? Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled out to Sephiroth before both he and Angelina turned around and run past both Laina and Aeris, away from them and the altar toward the main marking/mural on the wall.

"Wait, Cloud, Angelina!" both Laina and Aeris called out to them as they turned around and run after them, only to stopped in their tracks when they saw a terrible sight before them.

Both Cloud and Angelina had come to a stop in front of the wall with the main marking/mural painted on it and they are looking up at it in silence while their bodies trembled and glowed with the same kind of eerie white glow that Sephiroth had seconds ago. And just like when they saw Sephiroth nearly kill off both Tseng and Mark during the illusion which the Ancients show them in the pool, both Cloud and Angelina had an alternate shadowy versions of themselves that doesn't synchronize with them.

"Cloud, Angelina!" Aeris cried out to them in a worry tone of voice.

Both Cloud and Angelina turned their heads to glance at Aeris in response to her voice and Aeris gasped in horror when she (and Laina) saw that both Cloud and Angelina's faces was very pale, their eyes were devoid of their pupils and they had small, dark smiles on their pale faces. Both Cloud and Angelina continue staring at Aeris and Laina for a few more seconds before they turned their glances away from them back to the main marking/mural on the wall.

"Hey, what's the matter with you 2?" demanded Laina.

Both Cloud and Angelina turned their heads to glance back and forth at both Laina and Aeris and at the main marking/mural on the wall before their shoulders started to shudder as they began to laugh a ghostly and eerie laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha… Black Materia." laughed Cloud.

"Ha ha ha ha… Call Meteor." laughed Angelina.

"Cloud! Angelina! Get a hold of yourselves, both of you!" Aeris shouted to them as she took a few steps forward to them but her yelling was in vain as they continue their ghostly and eerie laughters. Laina sighed then walked past Aeris to approach the both of them, raised both of her hands and she slapped both of their faces to snap them out of it.

After Laina slapped both Cloud and Angelina, they instantly ceased their ghostly and eerie laughter, wipe the dark smiles off their pale-looking faces, closed their eyes tightly and raised their hands to clutched their heads tightly in agony.

"Cloud… Angelina…" said both Cloud and Angelina in a trembling tone of voices as they continue clutching their heads with their hands tightly. "Both of us are… Cloud and… Angelina… How should we!?"

Both Cloud and Angelina then released and lowered their hands from their heads and both Laina and Aeris watched with shock/horror looks on their faces as both Cloud and Angelina began to move their arms and legs to do various moves they had seen them do during their journey together like tilting their heads in confusion, shrugging their shoulders to others over and over (with their alternate shadowy versions following their movements, albeit separately) until at last they stop moving their arms and legs and the white glow and alternate shadowy versions of themselves disappear from their bodies.

"… Ugh, what did we?" Angelina began saying to herself before she suddenly got cut off by Cloud's words and she turned to glance at him.

"… I remember! I remember my way." said Cloud as he turned to glance at Angelina with a small nod of his head (which make her nodded back) before he glance past Angelina's shoulders at both Laina and Aeris (who returned the long velvet blue coat back to Laina), who were looking at him and Angelina (who turned around to glance at them) with worry looks on their faces.

"…Cloud, Angelina." said Aeris to them in a worry tone of voice.

"Mm? What's wrong, Aeris? Is something wrong?" said Cloud as he shrugged his shoulders dismissively.

"Why are you 2 looking at us like that?" said Angelina with a confused look on her face.

Laina was about to tell them about what just happened to them both but then she change her mind and decided not to say what just happened to them seconds ago. "… It's nothing, Cloud, Angelina." said Laina with a sad sigh and a shake of her head.

"Yeah, it's nothing." said Aeris in agreement with Laina. "So don't worry about it, you 2."

"Really?" said Angelina as she crossed her arms and raised her left eyebrow.

"Yeah, really." said Aeris with a nod of her head. "And Sephiroth got away from us again."

"… Don't worry about it." said Cloud to both Laina and Aeris, oblivious to the cold, telling looks on their faces. "Angie and I understood what he was saying to us." Both Cloud and Angelina then turned away from both Laina and Aeris to glance up at the main marking/mural on the wall.

"So this must be Meteor, right?" asked Angelina to Aeris, who nodded.

"A huge flaming rock falling from the sky…" said Laina as she glance up at the main marking/mural with them.

"… this must be magic." said Aeris to them as she walked toward the wall, raised and place her left hand on the main marking/mural on the wall. "Just what Sephiroth was saying to us." Aeris lowered her hand and turned around to glance at them. "The Ultimate Destructive Magic, Meteor. It finds small drifting Planets with its magic. And then collides with them. This Planet might get wiped out entirely…"

Cloud, Angelina and Laina were stunned into silence as the same dark thoughts went through their minds after they heard Aeris's words. Thoughts about a single, lifeless planet floating aimlessly in outer space all by itself until it got pulled by an unknown force rapidly toward another planet and collided with it, their own planet. As Cloud, Angelina and Laina were lost in their own silent thoughts, the room which they're in began to shake violently and a dark red aura appear in the room which instantly broke them out of their silent thoughts and all 4 of them quickly pull out their weapons in preparation for whatever is coming for them.

"Sephiroth!?" said both Cloud and Angelina as they look around the room for him.

" _Ha ha ha ha… It is not me."_ said Sephiroth's voice from inside both of their minds.

Right after both Cloud and Angelina heard Sephiroth's voice in their minds, the shaking and the dark red aura of the room got more violent and deeper and the 4 of them heard the loud snarling of a monster coming from the ceiling above them, glance up and they saw a huge, red-coloured dragon staring down at them through a huge hole in the ceiling which hadn't been there before.

The huge, red-coloured dragon then crawled down through the hole in the ceiling and landed on the floor in front of Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris (all 4 of them saw that the huge red-coloured dragon had a large, wide body covered in finely pressed red scales with strong muscles swelling underneath its red scales, sharp, curled claws on all 4 of its legs, large red wings on its back, a long tail thudding on the floor behind its back, a long and pointed sleek-looking head with red horns on the top of its yellow-coloured eyes and forehead and sharp teeth on its mouth.)

The huge, red-coloured dragon immediately open its mouth and let out a huge roar at Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris (which shook the room and nearly make Aeris dropped her Princess Guard staff weapon in fright) before it let loose its breath of searing hot blue-coloured flames toward them and they quickly dodged left and right to avoid getting burn by its flames (while their bodies began to sweat profusely due to the intense heat of the flames). Cloud, Angelina and Laina then stood up and charge toward the dragon together (while Aeris stay a safe distance away from their fight) with their swords and naginata in their hands and they immediately uses their "Climhazzard", "Vile Strike", "Exodus Blades" limit breaks and casted Blizzara and Blizzaga magic on the dragon's scaly body, head and wings several times, which make the dragon roared in anger and pain at them before it breath out another wave of hot flames (which melted the icy spikes on its body) and raised and swing its long spiked tail at them at the same time.

Cloud, Angelina and Laina saw the dragon's flames and its tail coming toward them, noticed that they couldn't dodged out of the way in time and Laina quickly raised her hand in front of her, Cloud and Angelina to use her "Telekinesis" to protect them from the dragon's flames and long spiked tail and they watched as the flames and the tail stopped in mid-air for a few seconds before the tail dropped down to the floor while the flames turned back toward the dragon and struck its body dead-on, causing the dragon to roar out 1 final time in pain/agony as its own flames rapidly consumed and burned its entire injured/bleeding body until the flames dispersed away from the dragon and the dragon fell down onto the floor and its burned body disappear into the Lifestream, leaving behind another summon materia (Bahamut) and a Dragon Armlet item.

Cloud, Angelina and Laina then put their swords and naginata back behind them while Aeris approach the 3 of them with a small relieved smile on her face.

"Any sign of Sephiroth?" demanded Cloud as he turned to glance at Aeris.

"He disappeared." said Aeris as she glance at Cloud with a shake of her head.

Cloud frowned and crossed his arms while Angelina sighed in dismay (after she picked up the Bahamut summon and the Dragon Armlet and put them into her pockets) before throbbing pains came up from the back of their heads and they winced and rubbed their heads with their hands.

"What's wrong, you 2?" said Laina in a worry tone of voice. "Are you 2 alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine, Laina." said Angelina in a reassuring tone of voice to Laina after the throbbing pain in the back of her head subsided.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris then turned around, walked toward the altar to stared down at it.

"What is this?" said Cloud as he glance at the small floating/jumping model of the Temple of the Ancients on the altar in front of him and his 3 friends/companions.

"… There's something written on it." said Aeris to Cloud, Angelina and Laina as she leaned over to see/examine the small model more closely. "… B.l.a.c.k… M.a.t.e.r.i.a."

"Black Materia!" exclaimed Cloud, Angelina and Laina in a loud and surprised tone of voices as they turned to glance at Aeris (who widened her eyes in surprise as well before she turned away from them and the altar) before both Cloud and Angelina turned back to glance at the small model on the altar while Laina glance at Aeris (who's still had her back to them) and she saw a small, pale white-coloured materia tucked securely within the magenta-coloured ribbon tied up on her long, brown hair. But before Laina could say anything to her about it, Aeris suddenly shook her head and turned back to glance at them.

"Hey!" said Aeris in an eager tone of voice to Cloud, Angelina and Laina. "… Black Materia. What should we do with it, Cloud?"

"We'll take it with us, of course, Aeris." said Angelina. "We can't let Sephiroth get his hands on it. Right, Cloud, Laina?"

"Right, Angelina." agreed Laina while Cloud nodded his head to her.

Angelina, Laina and Aeris watched as Cloud stepped forward, took hold of the small model of the Temple of the Ancients and tried to lift it up, but as he do so, the 4 of them immediately felt the entire room began to shake violently which causes clouds of dust and sand to fall down from the ceiling above them and they heard the sound of a loud ripping/groaning coming through the floor under their feet. Cloud quickly released his hold on the small model in shock and they felt the shaking and ripping/groaning sound stopped before he shrugged his shoulders in a clueless manner and turned to glance at Aeris.

"Wait a minute. I'll ask them!" said Aeris to Cloud before she turned away from him, Angelina and Laina and she opened her heart and soul out to the many spirits of the Ancients drifting within the Temple, trying to ask them for some answers.

"I don't understand…" said Aeris to the spirits in the Temple before she walked away from Cloud, Angelina and Laina to another spot in the room to hear their words/answers clearly. "What? Really!?" said Aeris with a shocked look on her face when she heard what the spirits just told her and she thanked them for telling her before she turned around and run back to Cloud, Angelina and Laina.

"Well, what did they say to you, Aeris?" Laina asked her.

"They told me that the entire Temple itself is the Black Materia." replied Aeris.

"What do they mean by that?" said Cloud with a confused look on his face.

"Are you saying that they told you that this whole temple building is the Black Materia?" said Angelina to Aeris and she nodded to her.

"This huge Temple?" said Cloud as he glance around the room with a shocked look on his face. "This is the Black Materia!? That means no one can take it away."

"Hmmm, you're right, it's pretty hard." said Aeris as she glance at the small model floating/jumping on the altar. "You see this is a model of the Temple. And inside it is a device, which gets smaller each time you solve a puzzle. As the model becomes smaller, you become smaller too. Until it's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand."

"Whoever created this Temple was quite the clever person." said Laina with a smirk on her face.

"So, if we solved the puzzle, the Black Materia will get smaller and smaller and we can take it with us?" asked Angelina to Aeris as she crossed her arms.

"Yes, that's right, Angelina." said Aeris as she nodded to Angelina before her face turned worry. "But there's 1 thing… You can only solved the puzzles inside the Temple. So, anyone who solves the puzzles will be crushed by the shrinking Temple."

"I see…" said Cloud as he turned back to glance down at the small model. "The Ancients didn't want dangerous magic to be taken out of the Temple that easily…"

"Then it's probably for the best if we leave it alone, Cloud." said Laina.

"I agree with Laina, Cloud." said Angelina. "Let's leave it and get out of this place."

"No, we can't, Angie, Laina." said Cloud as he shake his head firmly. "We've got to think of a way to get it out. Because Sephiroth has many different flunkies at his beck and call. It's nothing to him to throw their lives away to get the Black Materia. This place isn't safe." Cloud ceased his talking and try to take and lift the small model away from the altar and like before the Temple began to shake violently and Cloud quickly released his hold on the small model and the shaking stops.

"So what are we going to do now, Cloud?" asked Aeris.

Cloud crossed his arms and closed his eyes to think deeply about what they should do next when his thinking got abruptly cut off by the sound of a handphone ringing. Cloud opened his eyes, uncrossed his arms and turned around to glance at Angelina, Laina and Aeris for a few seconds before he pull his ringing handphone out of his right pants pocket and answered it.

" _Hi, Cloud. This is Cait Sith speaking."_ said Cait Sith's voice from the other end of Cloud's handphone. " _I overheard the whole story! Don't forget about me. Everything you and your 3 friends just said makes perfect sense! You can use my stuffed body for the future of the Planet."_

"No way, Cait Sith. We can't let Sephiroth get his hands on the Black Materia." said Cloud in a harsh tone of voice to Cait Sith. "And we can't let you, your Shinra friends and the Shinra company get their hands on it either."

" _But Cloud. There's really nothing else that you and all of your friends/companions can do._ " said Cait Sith in a sad/hurt tone of voice to him. " _Please, trust me."_

"… Fine, Cait Sith. I guess we have no choice." said Cloud as he let out a deep sigh.

" _All righty then!_ " exclaimed Cait Sith in a cheerful tone of voice. " _Leave it all to me! And please hurry, you and your 3 friends/companions have got to get out of there! I'll be waiting at the exit!"_

After Cloud finished talking to Cait Sith through his handphone, turn it off then put it back into his pants pocket, Cloud then turned to glance at Angelina, Laina and Aeris and told them about what Cait Sith just said to him, which make all 3 of them reluctantly nodded at Cloud's decision to let Cait Sith do this important and dangerous task alone. The 4 of them then walked out of the room, turned to their left to walked into the open doorway back to the large, dark pit room with the stone pedestal/huge clock standing in the middle of the room, saw that the hands of the huge clock was now set at exactly 6 o'clock which leads a direct path toward the open doorway opposite the one which they are now. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris then walked across the hands toward the open doorway (while noticing that the Time Guardian named Zen no longer speak to them), went through it and saw that they're now standing in a short corridor with another large set of green-coloured double doors set against the stone wall in front of them.

Cloud walked forward to the double doors, raised his right hand to knocked on the sealed doors and he received no answer to his knock. Cloud turned around to glance at Angelina, Laina and Aeris and shrugged his shoulders to them.

"It's warm…" said Cloud.

"What do you mean by that, Cloud?" asked Angelina with a confused look on her face.

Right after both Cloud and Angelina say those words, they felt the entire corridor and the floor under their feets began to shake and tremble violently enough to make all 4 of them wobble from side to side.

"This isn't good…" said Cloud as he look around the shaking corridor.

"You think?" said Laina to Cloud in a sarcastic tone of voice.

The next second, Angelina, Laina and Aeris widened their eyes in shock and fear when they saw an elongated and huge monster's head with small red-coloured eyes on its bony face, sharp teeths on its mouth with two arms with three sharp and long bony black claws on its hands on both side of its elongated head emerged from the wall above the double doors behind Cloud.

"Cloud, behind you!" Angelina warned Cloud as she raised and pointed her finger at the huge monster's head and arms behind Cloud and he quickly run away from the double doors toward Angelina, Laina and Aeris, turned around to glance up at the monster (named Demon Gate) and he and his 3 friends/companions immediately pull out their weapons in preparation to fight it.

The Demon Gate monster roared at them before it began using one of its magic skills named "Cave in" on them, causing the stone ceiling above them to shatter into small stone pieces and falling down on them. Laina saw it and she quickly raised her left hand up at the falling stones to disintegrate all of them into dust before they could crashed down on her and her 3 friends/companions.

While Laina is busy in disintegrating the falling ceiling stones from above their heads, both Cloud and Angelina charge toward the Demon Gate monster (who saw them coming and tried to swipe them away or grabbed hold of them with its bony claws to no avail), jumped while raising their sword and naginata above their heads and they swung their sword and naginata down onto the arms of the Demon Gate monster and they managed to cut both of its arms off and watched as the arms fall to the floor.

The Demon Gate monster roared in pain and anger at both Cloud and Angelina for cutting off both of its arms and before both Cloud and Angelina could finished it off with their sword and naginata, several large cracks began to appear on various parts of the Demon Gate wall body (which make it roared again in more pain and anger, this time at Laina for finishing it off) until it break apart into many rocky pieces, fall onto the floor (and left behind a Gigas armlet item) and reveal another large set of green-coloured double doors (the real one) against the stone wall behind it.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris (who thanked/praised the 3 of them in defeating the Demon Gate monster) put their weapons back behind them after they defeated the Demon Gate, heard the click of a door opening and they soon saw Cait Sith as he approach the 4 of them after he opened the double doors, with both Kunsel and Tifa following closely behind him with concern looks on both their faces.

"Are all of you alright?" asked both Kunsel and Tifa in a worry tone of voice as they approach Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris.

"We're fine, Kunsel, Tifa. We're all fine." replied Laina in a reassuring tone of voice to both Kunsel and Tifa while Cloud, Angelina and Aeris nodded to them.

"Those 2 insists on coming with me when you guys take too long inside the temple." explained Cait Sith to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris before he walked past all 6 of them, halted in his tracks near the open doorway which leads into the dark pit room with the huge standing clock in the middle of it and he turned around to glance at them. "I'll handle the rest from now on! Well then, everyone… Take care of yourselves!" said Cait Sith slightly sadly to them before he turned away from them back to the open doorway.

"Cait Sith…" said Aeris in a small and sad tone of voice, feeling a little regret at the thought of Cait Sith willingly sacrificing himself just so they could get the Black Materia before either Sephiroth or the Shinra company could even after they get mad at him and his 2 other Shinra spies for giving the Keystone to Tseng back at Gold Saucer and for taking Marlene, Wren and her mother hostage back in Midgar. Unable to bear it any longer, Aeris run toward both Cloud and Angelina and tugged on their arms. "Come on, you two… Say something to him."

Both Cloud and Angelina glance at the pleading look on Aeris's face (while Laina, Kunsel and Tifa stared at them in silence) then glance at Cait Sith, who turned around once again and glance at them with a slightly hopeful look on his face. Both Cloud and Angelina then scratch the back of their heads in embarrassment when they realised that they had no idea on what to say to Cait Sith.

"Sorry, Aeris. I don't know what to say to him." said Cloud.

"It's more like we're not good at this kind of situation, Aeris." said Angelina.

"Mmmm, I understand." said Cait Sith with a small smile on his face and a nod of his head to both Cloud and Angelina. "I feel the same way too."

Aeris glance back and forth at Cloud, Angelina and Cait Sith for a few seconds then clap her hands together as she suddenly remember what Laina use to tell her about what Cait Sith did for them in the past. "Hey, Cait Sith. I just had an idea. Why don't you read our fortunes?"

Cait Sith turned to glance at Aeris with a confused look on his face then smiled when he recalled what he did for Cloud, Angelina and Laina back at Gold Saucer. "Say, that's right… I haven't done it in a while, huh? Thanks for the idea, Aeris. I'm so excited. Right or wrong, I'm still the same 'ol me." Cait Sith lapsed into silence and lowered his arms to grasped at the fortune telling controls on the Mog-machine he's standing on. "Now, what do you want me to predict about?"

Aeris then glance away from Cait Sith to glance at the others standing in the corridor with both her and Cait Sith and clap her hands for the second time when she finally decided on what she wanted Cait Sith to predict. "Hmmm, how about let's see how compatible both Cloud and Angelina are for each other!" said Aeris with a cheeky smile on her face.

"What?" said both Cloud and Angelina as they glance at Aeris with surprised looks on their face (which started to turned red) while both Laina and Kunsel rolled their eyes at Aeris for suggesting such a prediction for both Cloud and Angelina and Tifa gave a small, slightly sad smile at the both of them (who didn't noticed) before turning and looking away from them.

"I see. You want to know how compatible they are for each other, huh?" said Cait Sith to Aeris, who nodded in agreement to him. "Alright, here I go!" All 6 of them watched as Cait Sith pressed a few buttons on the Mog-machine, causing it to moved its arms back and forth and dance for a while until it stopped and a piece of small white paper slid out of the top of the Mog-machine head and Cait Sith pull the paper out, read through the paper and glance at both Cloud and Angelina with a smile on his face.

"Well, what does it say?" asked Aeris, eager to know.

Cait Sith glance at her then glance back at both Cloud and Angelina and decided to tell them about it. "It's a good prediction. Both Cloud and Angelina are compatible with each other! Cloud's star and Angelina's star! They show a great future together!"

Both Cloud and Angelina face turn even more red when they heard what Cait Sith just said and they quickly turned their heads away to look at anywhere except at each other, which make Kunsel snicker at their reactions. "Cloud, I'll be your matchmaker, preacher… I'll do whatever you want me to do!"

Cait Sith then turned away from them and before he could step through the open doorway, a thought suddenly came into his mind and he sagged heavily on the Mog-machine. "I wanted to thank all of you for believing in me and my 2 friends even after all of you know that the 3 of us are Shinra spies. This is goodbye, everyone!"

Cait Sith ceased talking and began hopping through the open doorway and disappear into the shadows. After he went through, he heard Aeris voice calling out to him from behind.

"Be strong, Cait Sith!" shouted Aeris to Cait Sith before she turned around and quickly followed Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and Kunsel through the open double doors and out of the temple.

XXXX

A few minutes after Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa, Aeris and Kunsel leave the temple and crossed over the bridge and joined up with the rest of their friends/companions waiting for them on the other side of the bridge, all of them then felt the ground under their feet began to shake violently (which causes the trees behind them to whipped heavily from side to side and the rocks to jumped up and down heavily) and they watched as a blackish-green aura (with some lightning flashing out of it) began to emanate from the temple, completely covering it until the temple started shrinking rapidly by itself until the blackish-green aura and the lightning flashing out from the temple disappear and the ground, trees and rocks behind them and under their feet ceased its violent shaking, whipping and jumping and an eerie silence fell upon the forest, the ground and Cloud and his friends/companions.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris then walked carefully across the bridge (which is surprisingly intact after the violent shaking and with the others following behind them) toward the now empty place where the temple use to be standing, stopped in their tracks near the edge of a deep and hollow rocky pit and they look down at the deep and hollow rocky pit and saw the round-shaped Black Materia which they came to obtain lying on the rocky ground at the bottom of the pit.

"That's the Black Materia…" said Cloud to Angelina, Laina and Aeris in an awed tone of voice as he glance down at the Black Materia. Angelina, Laina and Aeris nodded to him, all 3 of them were also as awed as him when they look down at it.

"You guys go down and get it." said Tifa's voice from behind them. "We'll wait here."

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris glance at Tifa and the others and they all nodded in agreement to each other before Cloud, Angelina and Laina jumped down from one rocky ledge to another while Aeris slowly climbed down until they reached the bottom of the pit and approach the Black Materia.

"As long as we have this, Sephiroth won't be able to use it to summon Meteor." said Cloud in a relieved tone of voice to Angelina, Laina and Aeris (who nodded to him) as he kneel down and picked the Black Materia up in his palm. He turned the materia over in his hand while examining/looking at it before turning to glance at his 3 friends/companions. "Mmmm? Can any of you use it?" Cloud asked them, especially Aeris.

"Nope, we can't use it right now." replied Aeris. "You need great spiritual power to use it."

"You mean lots of spiritual energy?" said Angelina.

"That's right, Angelina." said Aeris with a nod of her head. "One person's power alone won't be able to do it. It needs to be taken to somewhere special. Somewhere there's plenty of the Planet's energy…"

"… Somewhere like the Promised Land?" said Laina.

"Yes, exactly, Laina!" said Aeris.

"Of course!" said Angelina. "That is the only place filled with the Planet's energy and is the place where Sephiroth can easily summoned Meteor!"

"No, but…" said Cloud as he glance down at the Black Materia in his hand with fear on his face.

"It's all right, Cloud." said Aeris in a reassuring tone of voice to Cloud when she noticed the fear look on his face and placed her hand on his right shoulder to comfort him. "Sephiroth is different. He's not an Ancient."

"She's right, Cloud." said Laina. "He shouldn't be able to find the Promised Land."

"The 2 of you are wrong about that. Because I have found it."

A familiar flash of eerie white light coming from above Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Aeris make them shiver in fright and Cloud quickly hold the Black Materia close to his chest as he and his 3 friends/companions (and Tifa and the others standing at the top edge of the pit) look up to the top if the pit and they saw Sephiroth floating in thin air far above all of them and out of their reach, unaware of the growing pain rising in the back of his head, same goes for Angelina.

"I'm far superior to the Ancients." said Sephiroth as he glance down at them. "I became a traveler of the Lifestream and gained the vast knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients. I also gained the vast knowledge and wisdom of those after the extinction of the Ancients. And soon, I will create a new future."

"I won't let you do it!" Aeris yelled at him. "The future is not only yours! The future belongs to everyone!"

"Aeris's right, Sephiroth!" Laina yelled at him as well. "We'll stop you, no matter what!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha… I wonder?" said Sephiroth as he glance at Tifa, Barret and the others standing on the edge of the pit, staring up at him with anger and… fear and he smiled evilly at them before he glance away from them down to both Laina and Aeris (who stared up at him without fear) then at both Cloud (who hold the Black Materia) and Angelina and his evil smile deepen. "Wake up, both of you!"

A second flash of eerie white light appear in the air and both Cloud and Angelina immediately clutched their heads with their hands in agony and fell to their knees when they felt the same sharp, powerful and painful electric shock erupting from inside their heads. They also heard Sephiroth's voice talking to them in their heads, telling them that he'll let the pain in their heads go away… if Cloud would just hand the Black Materia over to him.

"Sh… Shut up!" Cloud yelled at Sephiroth's voice in his head which causes Sephiroth to increase the pain in his head and Cloud cried out from it.

"C… Cloud will never…" Angelina began saying to Sephiroth then she cried out when he increase the pain in her head as well.

"Cloud, Angelina!" yelled Laina in a worry tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina and as she approach them, she got flung backward away from them, crashed and pinned heavily against the rocky wall of the pit behind her which make her gasp out in pain and unable to break herself free (due to Sephiroth's binding magic).

Sephiroth then floated gently down to the bottom of the pit (after he prevented Laina from interfering), landed softly on the ground and kneel down in front of both Cloud and Angelina, who's still kneeling on the ground and clutching their heads in agony.

"There, there, Cloud, Angelina…" said Sephiroth in a sympathetic and tender tone of voice to them. "Good boy and girl…"

"The… noise…" gasped both Cloud and Angelina as they heard Sephiroth's calm and gentle tone of voice through the unbearable pain in their heads, slowly open their eyes (which is devoid of pupils again), stood up and saw the ground under their feet and they also saw a black leather gloved hand reaching out to them, palm up. Cloud glance at Angelina, saw her nodded to him and he nodded back before he began moving/walking slowly forward to the hand that's reaching out for him while he hold the Black Materia.

" _No…!"_

" _Stop, don't do it…!"_

" _Don't be afraid…!"_

Two familiar voices called out to both Cloud and Angelina (who were too far gone to hear the voices right now) and both Laina and Aeris watched as 2 transparent, young and shadowy figures of Cloud and Angelina appear suddenly, both of their young shadowy figures tried to stop Cloud from heading toward Sephiroth to no avail and both Laina and Aeris and the young shadowy figures watched helplessly as Cloud handed the Black Materia over to Sephiroth, who took it before he stood up from the ground and glance down at the Black Materia in his hand.

"…Well done." said Sephiroth proudly to Cloud as he put the Black Materia into his left pocket, flew up into the air then disappear from their sights. After he's gone, the unbearable pain inside both Cloud and Angelina heads disappear (while their young shadowy figures return into their bodies) and Cloud fell to his knees to the ground with a horror look on his face when he realised that he had just gave the Black Materia over to Sephiroth. Same goes for Angelina, who had a horror look on her face when she realised that she let Cloud do it and didn't do anything to stop him.

" _What have I done!?"_ thought Cloud in horror to himself. _"How could I do such a thing!?"_

" _What in Gaia's name did Sephiroth do to the both of us!?"_ thought Angelina in horror to herself before she passed out and Laina (who broke free from Sephiroth's binding magic) quickly grabbed hold of her before she fell and slowly put her down onto the ground.

"Cloud, are you all right?" asked Aeris to Cloud as she slowly/warily approach behind him.

"… I gave the Black Materia to Sephiroth…?" said Cloud to himself, barely aware of Aeris talking to him seconds ago and placing her hand on his left shoulder to comfort him. Cloud then try to turned around but as he do so, a wave of dizzying pain overwhelmed his entire body, causing him to fall toward Aeris, who caught him and held him gently in her arms, like a mother holding a child.

"Wha… what did I do… tell me, Aeris." pleaded Cloud as he glance up at Aeris with tears glistening in his eyes.

"Cloud… be strong, okay?" said Aeris softly to him.

Cloud ignored her soft words, pushed himself away from her while struggling to stand up then he fall to his knees on the ground again, clenching his hands into tight fists and he started punching the ground hard.

"Urrrrrrrrgh… What have I done!?" Cloud yelled loudly and angrily to himself as he continue punching the ground.

"Cloud…" said Aeris as she stood up and approach him. "You haven't done anything wrong. It's not your fault and not Angelina's fault either."

Right after Aeris say those words to him, the same pain and voice from before return with more increasing force in the back of his head and Cloud shook his head fiercely to try to get rid of it to no avail and he found himself beginning to stand up from the ground.

"I…! I'm-!" stammered Cloud in fear for a few seconds before a dark and angry look appear on his face and he glared at Aeris, who's unfortunately standing in front of him and he grabbed hold of her left arm tightly and roughly before he flung her against the rocky wall of the pit, making her cry out in pain from the rough impact. Before Aeris could get away or defend herself from Cloud, he approach her and raised his hands to slap and punch her repeatedly.

"What the!? Cloud, stop it!" yelled Laina (and Tifa and the others standing above them while a second Cait Sith standing on a second Mog-machine approach them at the wrong time) in an angry tone of voice when she saw Cloud striking Aeris repeatedly and she quickly stood up, went between both Cloud and Aeris and grabbed hold of his hands to stop him from striking down on her. "What's the matter with you now!?"

Cloud didn't answer her question as he struggle to get his hands free from Laina's firm grip to continue striking Aeris (who slowly stood up from behind Laina now), managed to pried his hands free from her grip and he clench both of his hands into fists and punched Laina hard on both her face and stomach.

"Laina!" gasped Aeris when she saw Cloud punch her twice.

Laina winced in pain from Cloud's duo punches on her, glared at him then send him flying away from her and Aeris with her "Telekinesis" limit break. Cloud felt himself got flung away from the both of them, crashed against the rocky wall of the pit behind him and he soon passed out from the hard impact and fell to the ground.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47: Laina and Aeris are gone**

2 days have pass by since Laina, Aeris and the rest of their friends/companions left the huge rocky pit where the Temple of the Ancients use to be standing (where both Laina and Aeris quickly climbed out of the huge rocky pit while Laina uses her "Telekinesis" to bring the unconscious Cloud and Angelina with her until they reached the top of the pit and she handed them over to both Kunsel and Selwyn, who helped carry them behind their backs), trekked through the forest back to the beach where the Tiny Bronco and the boat is and Cid quickly drove/sailed the Tiny Bronco (after they climbed onto the plane and the boat) away from the beach toward the nearest village on another continent, which is Gongaga. Tifa, Barret and the rest of their friends/companions took turn watching over both Cloud and Angelina, who were tossing and turning restlessly on the single beds which they're lying on inside 1 of the villagers house after Tifa, Barret and the rest of their friends/companions told the villagers about their grim situation and the villagers lend them a helping hand without questions and delay (during this 2 days, Selwyn insists that Laina went over to Zack's parents house to tell them about what happened to their only son which she reluctantly agreed before she went over to meet them both, tell them about what happened, got slapped and blamed for it by Zack's mother and she left after she's done telling them to head back to the village house where both Cloud and Angelina is to resumed watching over them).

After Laina watched over both Cloud and Angelina near their beds for 2 hours, she then switch places with Tifa who came into the house, left the house and noticed Aeris walking down the dirt path in the direction where the village exit is and she quickly followed after her (without any of their friends/companions or villagers noticing the both of them leaving the village).

"Trying to leave without telling us or letting us know, huh, Aeris?" said Laina in a slightly sad/disappointed tone of voice to Aeris after she caught up to her.

Aeris jumped a little when she heard Laina's voice from behind her then sighed and turned around to glance at her. "Please don't try to stop me from leaving, Laina." said Aeris.

"Why not, Aeris?" said Laina, confused.

"Because there's a place that I needed to go right now. A place which is across the ocean on another continent where I would be able to summon Holy, the Ultimate White Magic that can possibly stop both Sephiroth and Meteor." Aeris told Laina before she took the small white-coloured materia from her magenta ribbon and show it to her.

"Are you serious, Aeris?" said Laina as she glance down at the small, white-coloured materia with a surprised look on her face. "This small materia which you're holding in your hand can stop both Sephiroth and Meteor?"

"Yes, it can, Laina. So please, don't try to stop me from leaving. I must do this for the sake of the Planet." said Aeris with a determined look on her face before she put the small materia back into the ribbon tying on her hair.

"Fine, I won't stop you from leaving, Aeris." said Laina. "But I'll be going with you to the place which you needed to go to. It's dangerous for you to go by yourself so I'll go with you to protect you from the monsters along the way until we reach the place."

"Really? Thank you for deciding to come with me, Laina." said Aeris with a nod of her head.

"Come on, let's hurry before the others noticed that we're gone and come looking for us both." said Laina.

Aeris nodded again to Laina before they turned and quickly left Gongaga village and their friends/companions behind.

XXXX

"Hey, can you 2 hear me?" said a soft and familiar woman voice to both Cloud and Angelina, causing them to slowly opened their eyes to glance around the place and they saw that they're now inside a forest with a straight, natural dirt path cut right through the center of the forest leading toward a bright greenish-white light at the end of the dirt path.

Both Cloud and Angelina then continue looking around the forest for the owner of the voice talking to them and spotted Aeris peering out at them both from behind a one of the thinly built trees with a gentle smile on her face. When both Cloud and Angelina saw her, they immediately remember everything about what they both did back in the rocky pit, especially Cloud (who immediately felt guilty for striking her repeatedly).

" _Yeah, Aeris. We hear you."_ said Angelina as she glance at Aeris.

" _I'm sorry for what I did to you and to Laina as well, Aeris."_ said Cloud as he lowered his head in guilt, unable to bring himself to look at her.

"Don't worry about it, Cloud." said Aeris in a reassuring tone of voice to Cloud as she stepped out from behind the tree.

"We don't blame you that much now, Cloud." said Laina's voice nearby them and both Cloud (who lifted his head) and Angelina saw Laina stepping out from behind another tree opposite the one which Aeris stepped out from.

" _You're here too, Laina?"_ said Angelina, surprised to see Laina.

"Of course, Angelina." replied Laina with a small smile on her face.

"… _I'm so sorry, Laina, Aeris… I can't help it…"_ said Cloud in an apologetic tone of voice.

"Oh…" said Aeris as she turned around, walked slowly behind the tree which she stepped out from seconds ago, disappear then jumped out from the tree on the opposite side of the path (which Laina walked out from) next to Laina. "Then why don't you REALLY worry about it, Cloud?" suggested Aeris to Cloud as she run away from Laina toward the center of the path, stop and place her left hand on her chest. "And let the both of us handle Sephiroth for now."

" _Say what? No!"_ said Angelina with a shocked look on her face.

"Don't you worry, Angelina." said Laina in a reassuring tone of voice to her. "It'll be all right."

" _But, Laina, Aeris…"_ Angelina began to protest then lapsed into silence when both she and Cloud saw Laina turning around to walked behind the tree while Aeris began laughing softly before her body started glowing white and they both disappear from their sights then they reappeared from behind another tree on the right side of the dirt path.

"And Cloud, you take care of yourself. You too, Angelina." said Aeris with a meaningful look on her face to both Cloud and Angelina before she turned around, walked past Laina and disappear behind the tree.

"So that the next time the 2 of you won't have another breakdown, hopefully." said Laina to both Cloud and Angelina before she turned around, walked and disappear behind the tree as well.

Shortly after both Laina and Aeris disappear from their sights again, both Cloud and Angelina felt themselves began to float down and they look down and saw the dirt path slowly coming up beneath them before they lifted their heads and saw both Laina and Aeris floating down with them. The 4 of them landed safely on the dirt path and both Cloud and Angelina glance around at the forest surrounding them.

"Where are we now, Laina?" Angelina asked Laina, who didn't say anything.

"What is this place, Aeris?" Cloud asked Aeris when Laina didn't answer Angelina's question.

Aeris placed her hands behind her back and glance up at the trees of the forest. "This forest leads to the "City of the Ancients" and is called the "Sleeping Forest"." Aeris told them before she lowered her head to glance at them. "It's only a matter of time before Sephiroth uses the Black Materia to summon Meteor to destroy the Planet. That's why I'm going to protect it. Only a survivor of the Cetra, like me, can do it."

"And what will you be doing, Laina?" asked Angelina.

"I'll be buying Aeris some time to do what she needed to do by fighting Sephiroth when he shows up." replied Laina.

"No, Laina, he'll kill you!" protested Angelina.

"I know that, Angelina. But there's no other way." said Laina while she raised her hand to silence Angelina before she could protest some more.

Aeris turned away from the 3 of them to walk steadily up the dirt path with her hands still clasped behind her back before she stopped and turned around to glance at both Cloud and Angelina. "The secret is just up ahead." said Aeris with a small shake of her head. "At least it should be… I can feel it. It feels like I'm being led by something. Well then, Laina and I will be going now. We'll come back when it's all over. Let's go, Laina." said Aeris as she glance at Laina.

"Right, let's go. Farewell, Cloud, Angelina." said Laina as she glance at Aeris and saying goodbye to both Cloud and Angelina at the same time.

"Laina, Aeris?" said Cloud, confused.

Both Cloud and Angelina watched as both Laina and Aeris turned around and began to run down the dirt path toward the bright, greenish-white light at the end of the dirt path, away from them. Both Cloud and Angelina then tried to run after them but they felt some invisible force holding them back, making them both watched helplessly as both Laina and Aeris running farther down the dirt path and getting smaller until they disappear into the light completely. Soon after both Laina and Aeris disappear into the light, Sephiroth's deep and calm tone of voice spoke out to both Cloud and Angelina (who had stop running when they heard his voice) through the silent forest.

" _Hmmm… they're thinking of getting in my way? They're quite the meddlesome women, don't you 2 think so?"_

Both Cloud and Angelina look up at the trees and they saw Sephiroth slowly floated down from the trees and landed on the dirt path in front of them. Sephiroth then stood up, turned his head to glance at the light where both Laina and Aeris had run into before glancing back at both Cloud and Angelina with an evil smile on his face.

" _We must stop those 2 meddlesome women, don't you 2 agree, Cloud, Angelina?"_ said Sephiroth.

"No, we won't let you, Sephiroth!" Angelina yelled at him. "We'll stop you before you can reached them both!"

Sephiroth deepen his evil smile at Angelina before a flash of bright light engulfed everything and both Cloud and Angelina closed their eyes.

XXXX

When both Cloud and Angelina finally woke up from their unconsciousness and take a look around them, they both saw that they are lying on two green-coloured single-sized beds inside a small cylindrical-shaped bedroom instead of lying on the ground at the bottom of the rocky pit back at the Temple of the Ancients, with both Tifa (who had a concern look on her face and sighed in relieved when she saw them waking up) and Barret (who had traces of annoyance on his face) standing and watching over them both.

"Thank Gaia that you 2 finally woke up, Cloud, Angie." said Tifa in a relieved tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina. "I was so worry."

"Yeah, sorry for making you worry about us, Tifa." said Angelina as she slowly sat up from the bed and winced a little from the faint throbbing in her head.

"It's fine, Angie." said Tifa as she place her hand on Angelina's shoulder.

"You two look like you were havin' nightmares when you two kept tossing and turning on the beds." said Barret to both Cloud and Angelina after they woke up. "How are you two feeling now?" Barret asked them.

"I seem to be okay, Barret." replied Cloud in a dry tone of voice.

"So do I, Barret, for now." replied Angelina.

Barret glance back and forth at both Cloud and Angelina, trying to see if the 2 ex-SOLDIERS was bluffing about them being okay and slowly nodded his head when he saw that they're telling the truth. "I see, that's good then." said Barret as he crossed his arms. "Man, I didn't know what was gonna happen if you 2 didn't wake up."

"Where's Laina, Aeris and the rest of our friends/companions, Tifa?" Angelina asked Tifa as she turned to glance at her after Barret ceased his talking.

Tifa let out a deep sigh and a frown look appear on Barret's face when they heard Angelina's question and Tifa answered her. "Angie, Laina is gone. And so is Aeris."

"WHAT!" said Angelina loudly and with a shocked look on her face.

"Everyone else's out looking for the both of them now." said Barret. "But we cannot find them both anywhere."

Cloud slowly sat up from the bed he's lying on and slowly shook his head, not the least bit surprise to hear that both Tifa and Barret told him and Angelina that both Laina and Aeris are gone. "… "City of the Ancients". Both Laina and Aeris are heading there right now."

"By themselves!? Why the hell did they go there by themselves!?" yelled Barret in a loud and angry tone of voice while he raised and shake his hand and gun-arm angrily. "Hey, we're goin too."

Flashes of the memories/dreams which both Cloud and Angelina had about Laina and Aeris standing on the dirt path with a bright greenish-white light at the end of the dirt path with them in the forest (while in their unconscious states) flashed through their minds and they remembered what Aeris said to them. " _Let the both of us handle Sephiroth for now."_ Aeris had told both him and Angelina before she and Laina run down the dirt path and left them behind.

"Only the Ancients, only Aeris can save us from Meteor…" Cloud told both Tifa and Barret before he lowered his head to stared down at his knees.

"Cloud's right, Tifa, Barret." said Angelina with a nod of her head. "She's the only one out of all of us that has the best chance of stopping him."

"Then that's all the more reason that we've to go after them both, Cloud, Angie." said Tifa firmly to them. "What'll we do if something terrible happens to Laina and Aeris? If Sephiroth finds them before we do, they'll be in deep trouble."

Both Cloud and Angelina glance up at Tifa with awed looks on their faces before their awed looks got replaced with sadness and they lowered their heads.

"Sephiroth… already knows." said Cloud in a sad tone of voice as he remember the rest of the memory/dream in his mind.

"And he's already got a head start." said Angelina sadly.

"If that's so then why the hell are you 2 still sittin' around for?" demanded Barret as he expects both Cloud and Angelina to get up from the beds and begin their pursuit after Laina, Aeris and Sephiroth.

"Let's go, Cloud, Angie." said Tifa.

"No, I can't." said Cloud in a fearful tone of voice as he remember the things he did to both Laina and Aeris back at the bottom of the rocky pit. "I might lose it again." said Cloud as he raised his hands to clutch his head. "If Sephiroth comes near me, I might…"

"Yeah, goddammit!" Barret snapped at Cloud. "It's 'cuz of you that Sephiroth got his hands on the Black Materia in the first place. And you," continue Barret as he turned to glance at Angelina. "You just stand there and let Cloud hand the Black Materia over to Sephiroth. It's both your damn faults!"

"Our faults?" said both Cloud (who lowered his hands from his head) and Angelina (who flinch from his harsh words) as they glance up at Barret.

"I know that you 2 got your own problems… hell, all of us do." said Barret to both Cloud and Angelina as he let out a heavy sigh. "But you 2 don't even understand yourselves. But even so, you 2 gotta understand that there ain't no gettin' offa this train we're on, till we get to the end of the line."

"Cloud, Angie, all of us came this far already…" said Tifa as she glance back at forth at both Cloud and Angelina. "Aren't you 2 going to settle things with Sephiroth?"

"No…" said Cloud in a trembling tone of voice before he raised his hands to clutch his head and shake his head vigorously. "I'm afraid." admitted Cloud. "If this keeps up, I may go crazy! I'm afraid…"

"I'm afraid too, Tifa." said Angelina in a trembling tone of voice as she raised her legs and hugged her knees close to her chest. "I don't want to feel the pain and agony Sephiroth put in my head again."

"You 2 are just damn cowards and jackasses, that's what you 2 are right now…" said Barret in a harsh tone of voice as he glared back and forth at both Cloud and Angelina. "Yo, you 2 jes' think about it… How many people in this world do ya 2 think really understand themselves? People get depressed in life because they don't know what's up. But they still go on living. They don't run away… Isn't that how it is?" Barret ceased his talking, turned and walked out of the bedroom.

"Cloud, Angie… the 2 of you'll come with us, right?" asked Tifa as she glance back and forth at both Cloud and Angelina with a hopeful look on her face. "I believe in both of you." added Tifa quietly before she turned, walked out of the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Once both Tifa and Barret stepped out of the room and out of their sights, Cloud continue holding his head with his hands while Angelina turned to her left and slowly lowered her legs onto the floor of the bedroom.

"Cloud, they're right about the both of us." said Angelina sadly. "We're behaving like cowards and jackasses now because of what Sephiroth did to us. We've got to pull ourselves together somehow."

"What… am I supposed to do to pull myself together now, Angie?" said Cloud. "Even if we can somehow pull ourselves together, where will we pull out, Angie?…And to where?"

Angelina had no answer to his questions and decided to not say anything to Cloud, for now.

XXXX

"Cloud, Angie…" said Tifa as she felt her heart aching for her 2 childhood friends, who's in turmoil now (both she and Barret are now standing in the living room outside of the bedroom where both Cloud and Angelina is).

"Wait just a minute, Tifa." said Barret softly to Tifa and she turned to glance at him. "Give them both a little time. The 2 of them has to decide this on their own. You believe in both Cloud and Angelina… right?"

Tifa slowly nodded to Barret (which make him gave her a small smile) before he turned, open the front door of the house and walked out of the house. Tifa glance back at the bedroom door for a few more seconds before she walked out of the house and closed the front door behind her.

XXXX

Both Cloud and Angelina moved their bodies to sit at the edge of the beds, stared at their Buster Sword and naginata weapon leaning against the wall nearby them before they look away from their weapons to begin thinking hard on what they should do next. But as they started thinking, both of their thoughts immediately centred on Sephiroth, like how much the both of them (including Tifa) hated him for destroying their hometown, killed their families and neighbours in cold-blood yet at the same time they wanted to know why their heads pounded in pain and they heard his voice talking to them in their minds, telling them to hand the Black Materia over to Sephiroth whenever he's near them both.

Remembering what he did before he (and Angelina) passed out back at the rocky pit of the Temple of the Ancients made Cloud shiver in fear. "…I'm afraid to find out and know the truth…?" Cloud asked himself as he slowly shake his head. "But… why?"

"Cloud…" said Angelina as she glance at Cloud with a sad/pity look on her face before she stood up from the bed, walked over to him and pull him into a comfort hug.

Cloud flinch a little when he felt Angelina suddenly hugging him but it did the job of slowly calming him down and he slowly raised his arms to hugged her back.

"It'll be alright, Cloud." said Angelina. "I know that you're afraid to find out and know the truth. So do I but if we keep on behaving like cowards and jackasses and run away now then we'll never know the truth. Like what Barret just said to us, Cloud, there's no getting off this train we're on until we reach the end of the line."

"… Yeah, you're right, Angie." said Cloud as he pull away from her, smiled softly at her before he leaned his face close to hers to place a soft kiss on her forehead.

"What was that for, Cloud?" said Angelina in a surprised tone of voice to Cloud (who pull away) as she felt her face turned red.

"That was my thanks for you in comforting me, Angie." said Cloud with a smirk on his face as he stood up from the bed, take and put his Buster Sword behind him before he handed the naginata to Angelina (who stood up, take her naginata from him and put it behind her back) and they turned to their left and leave the house.

When both Cloud and Angelina walked out of the house, they saw both Tifa and Barret standing on either side of the front door outside the house while the rest of their friends/companions were scattered across various parts of the village.

"Cloud, Angie…" Tifa began saying but got cut off by Barret before she could say any further.

"Hey, how are you 2 now?" Barret asked both Cloud and Angelina. "I just wanna know, which is it going to be? The 2 of you wanna find out about yourselves? Or are you 2 still afraid to find out? Either way, if you 2 decided to stay around here and about then all the 2 of you can do is worry about it." said Barret sternly to them. "Even if the 2 of you do go nuts again when you 2 see Sephiroth… If it happens, it happens. I'll go upside both your heads and bring you 2 back to normal!"

Cloud didn't look too convinced at Barret's words while Angelina rolled her eyes at him.

"Cloud, Angie, it'll be all right." said Tifa in a reassuring tone of voice as she approach them and placed her hands on theirs. "All of us are with you both."

"Thanks, Tifa." said Angelina, smiling at Tifa.

"But still…" Cloud began saying and got cut off by Barret.

"If it happens, it happens." Barret repeated some of his previous words to Cloud while waving his gun-arm. "Don't you worry about it, spiky."

Cloud bit his lip, crossed his arms and think about it for a while before he uncrossed his arms and slowly nodded his head to Barret. "…You're right." said Cloud to Barret before he turned to glance at both Angelina and Tifa. "… He's right, isn't he, Angie, Tifa?"

"Yeah, of course he is, Cloud." said Angelina.

Tifa nodded, glad that both of her childhood friends have pull themselves together and decided to come with them. "Come on, you 2." said Tifa in an earnest tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina as she take both of their hands to drag them with her (with Barret following behind the 3 of them). "Let's go and find Laina and Aeris."

Both Cloud and Angelina nodded to Tifa before they gathered the rest of their friends/companions scattered across various parts of the village, told them about their next destination before they quickly bade goodbye to the villagers and left Gongaga village, went through the village exit, turned to their left toward the beach where the Tiny Bronco plane and the boat it, climbed into them and Cid quickly drove/sailed them away toward their next destination.

" _We're coming for you both before Sephiroth does right now, Laina, Aeris."_ thought Angelina to herself as she glance at the clear blue ocean.


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48: Heading to the Bone Village, Sleeping Forest and City of the Ancients**

A few hours after Cid drove/sailed the Tiny Bronco plane (with the boat tied behind it) away from Gongaga village across the shallow blue waters of the ocean, they finally reached the distant snowy northern continent (while the day slowly turned to early evening) and Cid turned off the plane's engine before Cloud and his friends/companions got off the plane and boat, dragged them up to the beach before they all turned around and head across the grassy plains (which doesn't have snow on them) toward the forest in front of them. An hour after Cloud and his friends/companions stepped into the forest and walked through it, they arrived in a kind of excavation/camping site (named Bone Village), look around the place (which had several huge skeletal remains of monsters lying on the ground on various parts near the excavation/camping site) and they were surprised to see many people wearing green or purple-coloured digger outfits digging on the dirt ground with shovels in their hands or scraping/knocking on the rocky walls with pickaxes in their hands.

One of the digger who's digging on the ground look up and noticed Cloud and his friends/companions entering the excavation/camping site, ceased his digging, climbed out from his assigned digging spot and ran forward to greet them. "Welcome to Bone Village, a place for nature lovers, all of you." said the man in a cheerful tone of voice as he hold out his gloved hand out to the group (after he wipe his gloved hand on his dirty green-coloured shirt).

Cloud shook the man's outstretched gloved hand while he and his friends/companions look around the place some more for any sign of either Laina or Aeris and didn't see them both anywhere. "Do you know where Laina and Aeris is?" Cloud asked the man.

"Are you talking about those 2 women?" said the man (which Cloud nodded) before he raised and pointed a finger over his left shoulder at a ladder (which leads up to a second ledge) attached against the dirt wall behind him. "The both of them came here yesterday and went straight into the Sleeping Forest, even after I warned them both not to go into it." the man then ceased talking to Cloud, turned around to walked back and jumped down to his assigned digging spot to resumed his digging.

Once the man is out of earshot, Cloud turned around to glance at his friends/companions, told them about what the man just told him before they quickly walked past the other diggers toward the ladder attached against the dirt wall, climbed up the ladder toward the ledge above them, stood up on the ledge, look around and they saw another camp built to look like the skeletal head of another huge monster leaning against the rocky wall of the forest behind it and next to an opened doorway leading into the forest (with some more diggers digging on the ground for treasures or ancient artifacts). Cloud and his friends/companions walked toward the opened doorway of the forest to peered into it when they all heard another man's voice talking behind them which make them jumped a little.

"The forest through this doorway here is called the Sleeping Forest." said the second digger guy as Cloud and his friends/companions turned around to glance at him. "Right now the forest is asleep and anyone who wanders in while it's asleep will be confused by it. You can go in but may never come out… Yesterday 2 women in pink and blue went into it and just an hour before you guys came, a tall man in a Black Cape went in as well. You guys think that they'll be alright?"

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions exchange worry glances with each other after the digger ceased his talking. All of them thinking the same worry thoughts in their minds.

"Cloud, we've to hurry!" said Angelina, Tifa and Kunsel to Cloud in worry tone of voices.

"But how?" said Nina as she glance at Angelina, Tifa and Kunsel before glancing away from the 3 of them to the open doorway to the forest. "You guys heard what he said, there's no way we can go into the forest without getting ourselves lost and confused by it."

"Actually, there is a way for you guys to enter the Sleeping Forest without getting lost and confused." said the second digger guy.

"And what way is it?" Selwyn asked the second digger guy.

"You guys can awaken the Sleeping Forest if you guys have the "Lunar Harp"." replied the second digger guy. "Once it's awake by the Lunar Harp, it will open up a path for you guys. The 2 women in pink and blue that went in yesterday also used a Lunar Harp to pass through."

"I want a Lunar Harp." said Cloud firmly to the second digger guy.

The second digger guy look at Cloud and his friends/companions suspiciously for a few seconds, saw only worry instead of any hostility in their eyes and faces and he gave them a small smile before he tilted his head toward the bottom of the ledge. "If you guys wanted the Lunar Harp, go and talk to the guy inside the tent at the bottom of the ledge." The second digger guy told Cloud and his friends/companions before he ceased talking, turned and walked away from them.

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions turned around to climbed down the ladder, turned to their left, went into one of the tent, saw a short black hair guy wearing a white T-shirt with blue jeans (the foreman guy) standing alone inside the tent (with dozens of yellow treasure boxes and ancient artifacts lying on the tent floor) and they approach him.

"Oh, hello there." the foreman guy greeted them politely when he turned around and saw Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions standing behind him. "What do you guys need from me?"

"We need the Lunar Harp so that we can pass through the Sleeping Forest without any trouble." Angelina told the foreman guy.

"The Lunar Harp, huh?" said the foreman guy. "You guys are in luck. Just so happens that my crew of diggers just excavate and dug out a treasure chest containing another Lunar Harp inside after the 2 women who came by yesterday took the first one with them into the Sleeping Forest."

"For real?" said Kunsel in a surprised (and relieved) tone of voice.

The foreman nodded to Kunsel before he turned to his right, walked toward some of the treasure chests lying on the tent floor, kneel down and he opened 1 of the treasure chest, take something out of it before he stood up, turned around to approach Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions and he handed the item over to Cloud.

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions glance down at the item in Cloud's hands and they saw that it's indeed the Lunar Harp. The Lunar Harp was quite the beautiful mystical item, it was shaped like a crescent moon, made out of night blue-coloured crystal which is smooth and cool to the touch with an inner sparkle shining out from within it like a bright star and thin, strong white strings which lined the inside of the blue-coloured harp.

"How beautiful…" whispered Angelina, Tifa and Nina as they glance down at the Lunar Harp, with Barret, Kunsel, Selwyn and Carter nodding in agreement.

Cloud tore his glance away from the beautiful mystical item in his hands to glance up at his friends/companions (who also glance at him). "Come on, let's go." said Cloud firmly to them and they nodded before they bade farewell to the foreman guy, turned and walked out of the tent, turned to their left to climbed up the ladder to the ledge and went through the open doorway into the Sleeping Forest.

Soon after Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions stepped through the open doorway into the Sleeping Forest, complete darkness and a sudden sense of unease descended upon the group, which make them shivered in apprehension for a few seconds before the darkness and the sense of unease abruptly disappear (which nearly make them jumped a little) to reveal the sight of a different forest around them and all of them look around the ethereal forest with awed and wonder in their eyes and faces, except for both Cloud and Angelina as they realised that the forest around them is exactly like the one they both saw in their dreams (and Vincent, who's still showing no emotion on his face), the place where they last saw both Laina and Aeris who told them that they'll stop Sephiroth before they run down the dirt path toward the greenish-white light. And also where they saw Sephiroth who told them that both Laina and Aeris must be stopped…

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions walked further down the dirt path of the forest toward the light, halted in their tracks and Cloud held the Lunar Harp out, lightly strung its white string softly and they all heard a soft and melodious tune echoed from the harp (which instantly make them felt calm and at peace). After Cloud strung the harp, they heard and watched as the trees of the forest around them began to groaned and creaked, the leaves on the braches began to rustled, the grasses at their feet began to swayed (even though nothing moved or touched them) and the greenish-white light at the end of the dirt path shone brightly for a second then dimmed down a little, silently telling them that the Sleeping Forest had woken up.

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions then headed toward the greenish-white light and they went through it into the deeper part of the forest.

XXXX

While Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions had woke the Sleeping Forest up with the second Lunar Harp which the foreman guy gave to them and went deeper into the forest after they woke it up, both Laina and Aeris immediately woke up from their rest/slumber inside 1 of the ruined and abandon buildings built to look like a seashell in the City of the Ancients when they felt Sephiroth's cold and menacing aura/presence near them.

"Do you felt him, Laina?" said Aeris as she glance at Laina.

"Yeah, I did, Aeris." said Laina as both she and Aeris stood up from the beds they slept on, quickly left the seashell building to walk toward the center rocky path of the city and halted in their tracks. "Hurry and go do what you came here to do, Aeris. I'll hold him off to buy you some time to do it."

"Alright, Laina." said Aeris with a nod of her head. "But promise me that you'll not die fighting him. Because Cloud, Angelina and the others still need you to help them out."

"Yeah, Aeris, I promise you that I won't die fighting him. Hurry and go now!" said Laina as she glance and nodded to Aeris, watched as Aeris turned and walked swiftly down the center rocky path away from her before Laina look away from Aeris's retreating form to look around for any sign of Sephiroth.

"I know you're here, Sephiroth." said Laina as she continue looking around the place for him. "Why don't you show yourself already?"

Soon after Laina say those words, she felt Sephiroth's cold and menacing aura deepen and he appear suddenly in front of her, staring at her with an evil smile on his face.

"Not bad at all, Laina Donovan. For being able to detect my presence." said Sephiroth mockingly to her.

"Enough of your mocking words, Sephiroth." said Laina, not in the mood for having conversation with him.

"Humph. Very well then." said Sephiroth as he raised his Masamune and pointed it at her. "Shall we get started?"

Laina responded by pulling Geneva saber from behind her, lightly touch it to her forehead before pointed it at Sephiroth. Both Sephiroth and Laina stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before Sephiroth charge toward her with his Masamune gripped tightly in his left hand. He swung his Masamune on her several times, intending to strike at the vital parts of her body but she deflected each of his strikes with her Geneva saber. Sephiroth then jumped away from her when she swung her saber at his chest, managed to slash at his chest and Sephiroth glance down at the bleeding gash on his chest (before it healed up), glared at her before he vanished, only to appear behind her and he uses his limit break "Octaslash" on her in retaliation. Laina gasped from the pain of his limit break on her, jumped away from him and uses Curaga to healed the slash wounds on her back.

After she's done healing her wounds, Laina stood up, charge toward Sephiroth this time to use her "Exodus Blades" limit break on him but he easily deflected each of her invisible sword slashes with his Masamune before he casted a fierce and heavy Ultima magic on her which causes great pain on her body, making her gasped again in pain before she fell on one knee to the ground. Laina then casted Curaga on herself the second time, look up and saw Sephiroth drew his sword back to begin using his "Draw Slash" limit break on her and she quickly casted both Thundaga and Blizzaga magic on him, making him halted his limit break before he disappear into thin air from her Thundaga and Blizzaga magic, appear in front of her and he uses "Octaslash" and casted "Heartless Angel" on her, causing several slash wounds to appear on her body and drained away her life, magic and stamina to the point of death.

Laina cried out in pain, dropped her saber then gasped heavily for air from 2 of his brutal limit breaks on her and before she could fell to the ground, Sephiroth's arm shot forward to grabbed hold of her neck and he lifted her almost dying form in front of him.

"Now isn't this familiar, Laina Donovan?" said Sephiroth as he glance at her. "Remember, two years ago, I did the same thing to you inside the mako reactor in Nibelheim?"

Laina didn't answer his words, merely glared angrily at him (while weakly trying in vain to pried his hand open from her neck with her hands) and he smirk at her before he raised his Masamune and thrust it through her chest. Laina cried out for the second time before Sephiroth pull his sword out of her now bleeding chest, release his firm hold on her neck, watched as she fell face-down onto the ground before he vanished to go after Aeris.

"No… stop… _"_ gasped Laina when she saw Sephiroth disappear again, slowly stood up then fell down onto the ground and pass out soon after (while the Jenova cells inside her body began to healed/close her wounds and replenish her life, magic and stamina slowly).

XXXX

After Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions walked through the greenish-white light, they walked down a clear, rocky path with strange-looking green-coloured bushes, stunted/wide trunk white-coloured trees and growths of red-coloured corals which sprung out of the ground here and there around them (which gives off a kind of spicy scent which is quite uplifting/invigorating and which make Red XIII sneeze when he's near them) until the clear rocky path under their feet got replaced by a different long winding path made out of bony scales which leads them out of the Sleeping Forest and down into the depths of a deep canyon.

By now the sun began to set down faster in the evening sky and dark shadows were beginning to fall on Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions and over the canyon. From their position at the top of the canyon, Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions look down upon the landscape, saw a shadowy doorway at the bottom of the canyon and they all came to the same thoughts in their minds that the City of the Ancients lay just beyond the shadowy doorway, along with 2 of their close friends and Sephiroth himself.

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions swiftly walked down the bony scales path down to the shadowy doorway at the bottom of the canyon, went through it and they soon found themselves standing on a rocky path which split off into three different main paths leading into the City of the Ancients in front of them (the centre path lead toward a grove of stone-like trees far in front of them, the left path lead toward a small cluster of abandon/empty houses built to look like huge seashells/corals while the right path lead through another small cluster of abandon/empty seashells/corals houses toward the other side of the canyon and out of the city toward the snowy mountains).

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Kunsel look around at the 3 rocky paths in front of them until they immediately widened their eyes in fear/horror when they saw Laina lying face-down and unconscious on the centre path a few feet in front of them, her entire outfit is torn in many places and covered heavily with her own blood, her Geneva saber lying on the centre path not far from her and they also saw many sword/slash marks and small piles of stone debris on the ground around her.

"Laina!" said Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Kunsel together in worry/fear tone of voices before they and their friends/companions quickly run toward her unconscious body and Kunsel reach and kneel down near her first before Cloud, Angelina and the others did and he gently turn her unconscious body around and lifted her up.

"Hey, Laina! Are you alright? Can you hear me?" said Kunsel worriedly to Laina before he pull out a Cura materia from his pants pocket and casted it on her. "Please open your eyes and answer me!"

" _Laina, please be alright and open your eyes!_ " thought Angelina worriedly in her mind as she glance at her.

"Uh… Ugh…" groaned Laina in a weak and pain-filled tone of voice before she open her eyes a little and glance at Kunsel, Angelina, Cloud, Tifa and the others. "Everyone… You're… all… here…"

"Of course we are here now, Laina!" said Kunsel, relieved that Laina's still alive and that they managed to reach and healed her in time (before he got livid at the fact that Sephiroth hurt Laina severely and nearly kill her off).

Laina smiled weakly at them before she close her eyes and pass out for the second time. Kunsel then gently lifted her unconscious body bridal-style (and picked up her Geneva saber lying on the ground near her) before he, Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions turned and walked away from the centre path down the right-side path toward 1 of the nearest empty seashell/corals houses, went into the house and as they all walked up the staircase one by one to the second floor, they were surprised to see several sturdy and firm-looking single beds place against the wall in the second floor.

"Look, there's several beds here." said Carter to the others.

"Yeah, just plenty enough for us to take some rest and sleep." said Nina as she nodded her head.

"Shall we take a break here, Cloud?" asked Angelina as she glance at Cloud.

"I don't see why not, Angie." replied Cloud. "Let's all rest here for a while."

One by one all of Cloud's friends/companions nodded in agreement to him before they turned and wandered off toward various different positions in the second floor bedroom. Red XIII immediately flopped down onto the wooden floor due to his tired legs no longer wanting to support his weight, Kunsel walked toward one of the single beds, put Laina down onto it before he turned around to sat down on the floor and leaned his back against the side of her bed, both Nina and Yuffie sat on two other single beds opposite the single bed which Laina's lying on (and which Kunsel leaned his back against) and they both fell sideways onto the beds with a soft thump. Both Angelina and Tifa helped themselves to the other 2 empty single beds in the room while Cloud, Barret and the others tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible on the 2 more remaining empty beds and on the hard wooden floor before all of them drifted off into sleep on the single beds and on the hard wooden floor.

 **(I hope that this chapter is to your liking, dear FF 7 fanfic readers.)**


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49: Losing Aeris and battle against Jenova-LIFE**

Two hours after all of them fell asleep on the single beds and wooden floor in the second floor bedroom inside 1 of the empty seashell house (by now its deep into the night outside the house), both Cloud and Angelina immediately woke up from their slumbers to the sound of a familiar female voice whispering/singing softly into their ears and minds from somewhere outside the house. Both of them then stood up, tiptoed their way silently past their other sleeping friends/companions, halted in their tracks in the dark left corridor of the second floor bedroom before they lifted their blank-looking eyes and faces to look up at the stone ceiling of the seashell house, trying to listen to the soft whispering/singing female voice clearly.

"I feel it, Angie…" said Cloud to Angelina in a voice unlike his own.

"So do I, Cloud…" replied Angelina, her voice as unlike as his.

"…What's wrong, you 2?" said a deep male voice from behind them.

"Do you 2 know what TIME it is now!?" said another male voice, sounding quite annoyed.

The voices of the 2 men behind them jolted both Cloud and Angelina out of their blank trances and they turned around and saw both Vincent (who's still looking emotionless) and Cid (who had an annoyed look on his face) standing a few feet behind them. Both of Vincent and Cid's voices also woke the others up from their slumbers and some of them yawned and rubbed the sleep from their eyes (Cait Sith, Nina, Yuffie and Selwyn) before they all stood up from their beds and floor, walked toward the 4 of them and stop in their tracks behind both Vincent and Cid, staring at both Cloud and Angelina.

"Aeris is here…" Cloud began saying as he glance from one person to another.

"… and so is Sephiroth." Angelina finished Cloud's words as she glance at them one by one as well.

"Are you 2 serious?" said Selwyn in a shocked tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina and they nodded grimly to him.

"But how can the 2 of you know about it?" asked both Tifa and Nina with suspicious looks on their faces and in their eyes.

"…We don't know how we both knew about it, Tifa, Nina." said Angelina as she shifted uncomfortably at both of their suspicious looks on her and Cloud.

"…It's not an excuse, everyone." said Cloud quickly to them before he raised and place his right hand on his chest, where his heart is. "Angie and I feel it in our souls."

"Then what're we all waiting for?" said Laina in a slightly weak tone of voice as she glance at both Cloud and Angelina. "Let's hurry to where she is now."

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions turned their heads to glance at Laina (who gave Kunsel a "don't-you-try-and-stop-me-from-going" look when she saw him about to protest and stop her from going with them due to her injured body not fully healed yet which make him sighed in dismay when he saw the look on her face and he let her be) and they all nodded in agreement to her words.

"…Right, Laina." said Cloud firmly and in agreement to her and to everyone else. "Let's all hurry and find Aeris."

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions then turned around, hurried/walked down the staircase away from the second floor bedroom, turned to their right to walked out of the seashell house and they walked swiftly and carefully down the uneven scales path under their feets (so that they won't trip and fell down) until they reach near the middle of the scales path.

Both Cloud and Angelina came to a sudden stop when they reach near the middle of the scales path and they both turned their heads to their right to glance at the dark doorway (with a grove of green-coloured stone-like trees tipping precariously above/around the dark doorway) in the heart of the city down the middle scales path slightly far in front of them, where they heard the sound of the soft, pure and melodious female's voice singing out to the night sky through the dark doorway.

"Aeris's voice… coming from over there?" said both Cloud and Angelina to themselves before they quickly run down the middle scales path toward the dark doorway (with the others running/following swiftly behind them both), went through the dark doorway, run down a long, straight and slightly narrow tunnel which cut briefly through the canyon to the other side, run out through the other side of the tunnel and both Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions behind them stop in their tracks when they saw that they're standing on another dirt path which leads toward another lone, huge and unusual-looking white-coloured seashell building which had several sharp spikes jutting out here and there across its gravely frame and with its curved opening at its base and surrounded by dozens of white-coloured trees around it. And in front of the huge seashell building was a large circular pool of clear blue water which looks shallow in one half of the pool while the other half of the pool is deep and down into the shadows (while the bright light of the moon shining down on both the house and the pool).

Both Cloud and Angelina ignored the rest of their friends/companions standing behind them and they walked swiftly around the circular pool of water toward the building (where Aeris's singing voice came out from), went into the building (with the others following behind them both), look around the place and they saw that the interior of the building was unlike the rest of the seashell houses outside of the tunnel.

The interior of the house was huge and had a single path which spiraled around the interior of the house (while dozens of small round stones which glowed a bright blue-white coloured lights lies on the spiral shelf around the house) until it stopped near the top of the house's ceiling. And in the center of the spiral house lies a hole with a blue-coloured staircase made out of pure energy on it which leads deep into the underground.

Both Cloud and Angelina wasted no time in approaching the hole in the center of the spiral house, heading down the blue-coloured spiral staircase into the underground (both of them ignored the voices of their friends/companions calling for them to wait up from behind them) and as they continue walking down the blue-coloured spiral staircase in silence, they soon saw another city which had been built underneath the other city above them and which isn't as ruined as the other city. Long and great-looking bronze-coloured towers and buildings with dark-coloured triangular roofs on them rose up from the depths of the ground with huge walls of shimmering transparent crystal which rose up as well and acted as a protective outer shield in the shape of a sparkling flame around the second city.

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions reached the bottom of the blue-coloured spiral staircase, stepped off the staircase, turned to their right to walked out of the open doorway of one of the bronze-coloured tower and they walked carefully down two set of stairs which leads toward the centre of the small and magnificent looking second city (some of them like Tifa, Barret, Yuffie, Nina, Cait Sith, Carter and Selwyn look around the city with deep awed/wonder in their eyes and faces).

All of them walked on until they came to stop at the very edge of the boulevard, for a large pool which lies in the center of the city lay before and below them, filled with the same clear blue-coloured water like the one in front of the huge seashell building above them and which glisten/reflect the light of the towering wall of transparent crystal around the city. Six cylindrical stone pillars rose from the large pool of water in front of them which leads toward a large platform podium building standing in the middle of the pool of water in the heart of the city.

Cloud immediately jumped off the edge of the boulevard and landed firmly/steadily on the first and lowest stone pillar in front of him without waiting for the others behind him before he glance up at the platform podium building and saw someone kneeling on the floor in the middle of the platform podium building. Cloud strained his mako eyes and stretched up on his toes to see the kneeling person profile better through the faint light shining into the platform podium and he (and Angelina and the others standing behind him) widened their eyes in surprised and relieved when they saw that the person who's kneeling on the floor in the middle of the platform podium with her eyes closed and her hands clasped together in front of her in prayer is Aeris.

"Aeris?" said Cloud as he glance at Aeris, who didn't open her eyes to see Cloud and the others when Cloud say her name.

Both Angelina and Tifa stepped closer to the edge of the boulevard in preparation to jump and join Cloud on the stone pillar, but Cloud suddenly turned his head, raised and waved his left hand at the both of them, silently telling them that he'll go get Aeris himself without their help and they both nodded silently to him and stepped back from the edge.

Cloud turned back to glance up at Aeris once more in the platform podium before he began to jump across the remaining five stone pillars until he landed at the edge of the platform podium, walked up the short staircase and slowly approach Aeris (who still did not stir from her prayer position).

As Cloud approach Aeris, a throbbing pain in the back of his head make his body instantly stiffen and he halted in his tracks and try to shake the throbbing feeling in the back of his head away to no avail. The next second, Cloud stop shaking his head, raised his right hand to pull his Buster Sword from his back, lowered his sword to pointed its sharp tip at Aeris's chest (where her heart is) before he grasped his sword with both of his hands, raised it high above his head and started to swung it down on Aeris's head.

"Cloud!" yelled Angelina, Tifa, Barret and Red XIII.

"What are you doing!?" yelled Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter.

"Stop!" yelled Laina, Kunsel, Selwyn and Vincent.

Startled completely by the loud cries/yells of his friends/companions behind him, Cloud halted himself from striking down on Aeris with his Buster Sword, lowered his sword and staggered backward away from Aeris while shaking his head and ignored the painful throbbing at the back of his head.

"Ugh… what are you making me do." Cloud asked aloud to himself before he lapsed into silence and glance at Aeris.

The next second, Aeris suddenly opened her emerald-coloured eyes, lifted her head to glance at Cloud (who continue glancing down at her in silence) and she gave him a smile full of joy and hope, which will be branded within Cloud's memory forever. As Cloud watched on, a shower of bright greenish-white light shine down on Aeris kneeling/praying form, completely enveloping her within its warmth glow and which make her smile of joy and hope deepen before a long silver hair, black leather clad figure appear suddenly far above her in the greenish-white light (which Cloud and his friends/companions failed to noticed), holding/pointing his Masamune blade downward at Aeris's oblivious kneeling/praying form before he descended rapidly down toward her and thrust his Masamune blade cleanly through Aeris chest (which make Cloud and the rest of his friends/companions behind him widened their eyes and gasped in horror).

After Sephiroth stabbed through Aeris's chest with his blade, Aeris close her eyes while her clasped hands dropped down to her sides before her upper body dropped forward and stopped mere inches from the blade. Aeris opened her eyes again, stared down at the blade coming out of her chest and she widened her eyes and gasped in surprise.

Sephiroth stood behind her, holding his blade and staring down at the last Ancient as the life slowly flow out of her body before he slowly lifted his head from Aeris's dying form to glance up at Cloud with his cold bluish-green mako eyes and an evil/menacing smile spread across his face before he slowly pull his blade out of Aeris's body.

After Sephiroth pull his blade out of Aeris's body, Aeris was still for a moment before she closed her eyes for the final time, let out her last breath, tilted her head forward and the movement caused the magenta-coloured ribbon in her long brown hair to untangle itself and fall down onto the podium floor behind her, releasing her long brown hair and the small white-coloured materia tucked inside it. The small white-coloured materia fell down through the air before it hit the podium floor with a clear clang sound, bounce up into the air for a second before it bounce right over the edge, bounce one by one down onto the stone pillars straight toward the water before it fell down into the water and sanked deep into its depths.

Cloud immediately rushed forward and caught hold of Aeris, who fell and landed into his arms lifelessly before he slowly turn her body around and he stared down at her peaceful face, looking as though she's fallen into sleep except that there's no longer any sign of life within her.

"…Aeris?" said Cloud as he try to shake Aeris gently, not wanting to believe that she's dead and gone. She didn't stirred and open her eyes from his gentle shaking and a look of pure anguish/despair appear on Cloud's face. "No! This can't be real!" Cloud choked out.

As Cloud and the rest of his friends/companions silently grieved/laments over the death of Aeris (and blamed themselves for not rushing to her aid or stop Sephiroth from killing her), Sephiroth (who's standing silently behind Cloud and Aeris's body) slowly raised both of his arms to the air with a happy look on his face, basking in the feeling of a new spirit joining with the Lifestream of the Planet.

"Don't you worry about her, Cloud." said Sephiroth in a gentle tone of voice to Cloud. "The Ancient girl has already merged with the Planet's energy and become a part of it. All that's left is to go North. The "Promised Land" waits for me over the snowy fields. There, I'll become a new being by uniting myself with the Planet's energy. As will this Ancient girl…"

"… Shut up." Cloud snarled angrily at Sephiroth, cutting off his words before he turned his head over his right shoulder to glared hatefully at him. "The entire cycle of nature and your stupid plan don't mean a damn thing! Aeris is gone." said Cloud as he glance away from Sephiroth down to Aeris's lifeless body in his arms. "Aeris will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry… or get angry…"

Tears started to filled/glisten in Cloud's mako eyes before he lowered his head down to the soft red fabric of Aeris's short bolero jacket to shed his tears.

"What about all of us… what are WE supposed to do now?" said Cloud as he gently lowered Aeris body down on the podium floor. "What about my despair and pain? My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!"

"Cloud…" said Angelina in a sad/anguish tone of voice as she stared at Cloud and at Aeris body.

" _Cloud…"_ thought Laina with a sad/pity/anguish look on her face as she stared at Cloud and at Aeris body as well (and also remember the tragic time when she lose her beloved husband, Zack Fair to the army of Shinra infantrymen on the cliff outside of Midgar 2 years ago).

Sephiroth slowly lowered his arms and look down at Cloud's shaking body with a surprised look on his face. "What are you saying? Are you trying to tell me that you've feelings too? For this Ancient girl, your friends/companions or for someone else who's close to you?"

"Of course!" Cloud yelled harshly at Sephiroth before he stood up and turned around to glance at Sephiroth, clenching and shaking his fists in anger. "Who do you think I am!?"

A mocking smile instantly appear and spread on Sephiroth's face and he began laughing amusedly at Cloud's display of anger. "Ha, ha, ha, ha… Stop acting as if you were sad." said Sephiroth to Cloud. "There's also no need for you to act as though you're angry either."

"And what do you mean by that, Sephiroth!?" Angelina yelled angrily at Sephiroth.

Sephiroth glance at Angelina over Cloud's left shoulder, smirk evilly at her before he glance away from her back to Cloud and he spread both of his arms out and floated up into the air, just out of Cloud's reach and glance down at him. "Because Cloud, both you and Angelina are…"

Sephiroth cut his words off, suddenly spun in the air and flew rapidly up and away from Cloud, Aeris's body and the rest of his friends/companions and vanished from their sights. A few seconds after he's gone, a small speck of some black thing appear at the place where Sephiroth disappear before it fell down (while growing larger as it fell) and landed near Cloud's feet on the podium floor. Cloud glance down at the black thing (which flopped and twitched as it tries to crawl rapidly toward him) and instantly recognized it as another piece of Jenova's dismembered flesh arm.

The dismembered flesh arm of Jenova suddenly convulsed and harden into rock before it's hardened flesh began to break apart and unleash the same kind of thick blackish-purple fume into the air and dark blood across the podium floor, over the edge and down the sides before it began to transform and expanded rapidly into a large and tall grotesque-looking creature. But the large and tall grotesque-looking creature (named Jenova-LIFE) which now stands in front of Cloud (who quickly lifted Aeris's body up from the podium floor to not let the dark blood of Jenova tainted her) look different than the previous one which he, Angelina, Tifa and Laina saw back in the engine room inside the Shinra ship days ago.

It's entire thick, rubbery and deformed body was reddish-purple in coloured instead of purplish-white in coloured, with even more folds of loose flesh which hung around the bottom half of its body, looking like a dress made out of flesh tissue. It had only one reddish-purple arm under its right shoulder while its left shoulder had inner strands of reddish-purple fleshy tentacles which twitch/wiggle around. After Jenova-LIFE reformed itself and the blackish-purple fume around its body dispersed away, Jenova-LIFE then lowered her head to look down at Cloud with a mocking/unkind look in her slitted, menacing black-coloured eyes on her face (just as Sephiroth did before he disappear) before her grotesque right arm reach forward to Cloud, who raised his Buster sword with his left hand (since his right hand is holding Aeris's body) and swung it at Jenova-LIFE'S right arm which make her instantly recoil her right arm back with a screech of pain.

Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Barret and the others (all of them with their weapons ready in their hands) immediately make their way across the stone pillars into the platform podium where Cloud (who's still holding Aeris's body) and Jenova-LIFE is standing to join in on the battle and Cloud quickly handed Aeris's body over to Laina (who happen to be the nearest to him when she came into the platform podium), who quickly took Aeris's body from him before she turned around and bring Aeris's body to the farthest and safest spot of the platform podium, away from the battle and Laina gently put Aeris's body down near the edge of the podium before she uses her "Telekinesis" to created an invisible protective wall around her and Aeris's body.

After Cloud handed Aeris's body over to Laina, he then turned around, gripped his Buster Sword tightly in his hands and aided his friends/companions in fighting against the large and tall grotesque-looking creature standing in front of them. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Barret, Kunsel, Selwyn, Red XIII, Cid, Yuffie, Vincent, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter charge toward Jenova-LIFE together to slashes, punched and shoots its huge reddish-black body relentlessly with their swords, naginata, spears, fighter gloves, gun-arm and a one-handed shotgun and uses their materia to casts Firaga, Blizzaga and Thundaga magic down onto it several times (which causes Jenova-LIFE heavily injured body to be burned, freeze and shocked by their magic), making Jenova-LIFE to let out a loud screech/shriek of pain and anger at them before it retaliated by sending several huge sheets of blue-coloured flames to burned them.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Kunsel, Red XIII and Vincent managed to dodged and avoid getting themselves burned by Jenova-LIFE blue flames but Barret, Selwyn, Cid, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter weren't as quick to avoid the blue flames as Cloud and the others did and soon their bodies got burned severely by the blue flames of Jenova-LIFE (which make them cried out in pain before they fell onto the podium floor). Laina, who saw them fought against Jenova-LIFE fiercely/angrily while she stay and protect Aeris's body inside her invisible protective wall near the edge of the podium, saw Barret and the others got themselves burned severely by Jenova-LIFE'S blue flames before they fell and she quickly close her eyes and clasped her hands together in front of her in a kind of praying manner and uses her "Pulse of Life" limit break (which Aeris gave to her a few days ago) on them to healed their burned bodies.

As Laina is busy healing Barret and the others, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Kunsel, Red XIII and Vincent charge toward Jenova-LIFE and they slashes, punched, shoot and casted Firaga, Blizzaga and Thundaga magic on its heavily injured body some more until both Cloud and Angelina jumped up toward Jenova-LIFE with their sword and naginata ready in their hands and Cloud swung his sword at Jenova-LIFE'S neck and beheading it while Angelina stabbed her naginata deep into Jenova-LIFE'S chest, right where its heart is.

Jenova-LIFE'S huge body (which is headless now due to Cloud beheading its head off) convulsed for a few seconds before it fell still and lifeless and both Cloud and Angelina (who pull her naginata out from Jenova-LIFE'S chest) quickly jumped away from Jenova-LIFE'S body just as it began to dissolve and dispersed away. As Jenova-LIFE'S head (which fell onto the podium floor after Cloud cut it off from its body) began to dissolve, its slitted, menacing black-coloured eyes glance briefly at both Cloud and Angelina and they heard a woman's cold and ominous tone of voice speaking softly to them both inside their heads.

" _Because, Cloud, Angelina… Both of you are puppets."_

" _We're… both puppets?"_ thought Cloud and Angelina in their heads and before they could demand an answer from Jenova-LIFE, it had already closed its eyes and its head dissolved completely into nothingness. Both Cloud and Angelina then put their sword and naginata behind their backs, turned around and they both saw that their friends/companions had gathered around the body of Aeris as she lay propped against the railing of the podium, with both Tifa and Laina kneeling close to her left and right on the podium floor with sad/despair looks on both of their faces.

One by one Cloud and Angelina's friends/companions pay their respects and say their final goodbyes to Aeris's body before they turned and walked out of the podium and jumped onto the stone pillars away from the podium (some of them gave Cloud dark looks when they walked pass both him and Angelina out of the podium, like Barret, Red XIII, Cait Sith and Vincent).

Once Barret and the others left the podium and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina were the only ones who remained in the podium near Aeris's body, both Cloud and Angelina then watched as both Tifa and Laina slowly stood up from Aeris's body after they pay their respect and say their final goodbyes to her before they both turned around and Tifa run away from the podium with tears glistening in her brown eyes and her left gloved hand covering her mouth and with Laina following silently behind her away from the podium, not looking at both Cloud and Angelina as both she and Tifa walked pass them.

After both Tifa and Laina walked out of the podium, Cloud approach Aeris's body (with Angelina watching), kneel down beside her and his hands reached out for her and he gently lifted her body up from the podium floor before both he and Angelina turned around, walked out of the podium and walked up the blue-coloured spiral staircase in silence with their friends/companions following behind them both, reached the interior of the huge spiral seashell house and they all left the house and stepped out into the forest that surrounds it with the huge circular pool of clear blue water in front of the house.

Both Cloud and Angelina refused to look at their friends/companions as they walked past all of them and Angelina stop in her tracks near the edge of the pool and watched as Cloud stepped into the pool, walked toward the center of the pool (where the deep part of the pool is) with Aeris's body in his arms before he stop at the edge of the deep part of the pool, slowly lowered Aeris's body into the water, glance down at her for a few seconds before he slowly stepped backward away from her body and he (and his friends/companions standing at the edge of the pool behind him) watched as Aeris's body floated on the surface of the water for a few seconds before the water rose above her clothes, across her neck and finally over her face.

As Aeris's body slowly sink beneath the surface of the water, her long brown hair flowed out around her shoulders and back, her hands unfolded themselves from her chest and fell loosely down her sides before she descended deeper into the dark depths of the pool until she's out of their sight.

XXXX

"Everyone, listen to me." said Cloud suddenly to Angelina, Tifa, Laina and the others in a firm tone of voice, which had them turned their heads to glance at Cloud after they all left the huge seashell house and the large circular pool (after Cloud gave Aeris's body a water funeral/burial) in front of it, down the narrow tunnel and back into the house which they had all sleep a few hours before the fight and the tragic loss of 1 of their friends/companions.

"I'm Cloud Strife and this is Angelina Pierce." said Cloud as he turned around to glance at them all and gestured to Angelina, who nodded her head in silence. "Both Angie and I are ex-member of SOLDIER, born in Nibelheim with our childhood friend Tifa Lockhart. The 2 of us came to settle things with Sephiroth, with Laina helping us both along the way."

"Uh-huh…?" said Selwyn with a slightly confused look on his face.

"… What's going on?" said Tifa with a small shake of her head.

"We came to this place of our own free will… Or so we both thought." said Angelina bitterly as she lowered her head to glance down at the ground. "However…" said Angelina before she lapsed into silence.

"…To tell the truth, both Angie and I are afraid of ourselves." Cloud continue from where Angelina left off and he turned to look away from the others. "… There is a part inside us both that we don't understand. The part where Angie step aside and do nothing and the part which made me gave the Black Materia over to Sephiroth. If any of you haven't stopped me, Aeris might have been…"

Cloud lapsed into silence, turned around and take a deep breath before continuing his talk. "… There's something inside us both. 2 persons who is not really us." Cloud turned back to glance at them. "That's why Angie and I are thinking of quitting this long journey. Before we do something even more terrible."

"But we're still going." said Cloud firmly before anyone could say anything and he raised and clench his hand into a tight and shaking fist. "He destroyed our hometown, killed off our families and neighbours 5 years ago, hurt Laina severely, killed Aeris and is now trying to use the Black Materia to summon Meteor to destroy the Planet. We'll never forgive… Sephiroth."

"That's why we… we must go on, no matter what. Right, Cloud?" said Angelina as she glance at Cloud, who glance at her and nodded before he glance at the others.

"… I have a favor to ask from all of you." asked Cloud to the others. "Will all of you come with me and Angie?... to save and prevent us from doing something terrible."

"Of course we'll stop you both from doing something terrible, Cloud, Angelina." said Laina.

"I agreed with Laina." said Kunsel with a small nod of his head.

"So do I, Cloud, Angie." said Tifa with a determined look on her face.

"Count me in too." said Selwyn.

"Well, we'll all face it head-on when it does happen." said Cid in a reassuring tone of voice to Cloud.

Cloud heard their answers and he was very grateful that they had decided to continue on the journey with him and Angelina. "I have no idea on how Aeris tried to save the Planet from the Meteor. And I guess that now, we'll never know." said Cloud to the others. "But! We still have a chance. We must get that Black Materia back before Sephiroth could use it to summon Meteor. So, let's go, everyone."

Angelina, Tifa, Laina and the others all nodded in agreement/approval to Cloud before all of them turned around and left the seashell house out onto the uneven scales right path.


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50: Leaving the City of the Ancients, heading toward Icicle Village/Inn and watched some videos about Aeris real parents**

As Cloud and his friends/companions left the seashell house and stepped out onto the uneven bony scales path, all of them halted in their tracks on the path to look around the city for any sign of Sephiroth (while the sun slowly began to rise somewhere on the distant horizon, over the mountains and pushing the shadowy night away for the dawn of a new day).

"Sephiroth…" said Tifa in a hard/angry tone of voice as she continue looking around the city for Sephiroth with the others. "I wonder which way he went off to?"

Right after Tifa say those words, both Cloud and Angelina (who's standing a little far behind the rest of their friends/companions) suddenly closed their eyes and raised their hands to clutch their heads in agony when they both felt the same painful throbbing in the back of their heads. In both Cloud and Angelina mind's eye, they could see Sephiroth walking down a different bony scales path to their left toward the cliffs with his sword in his left hand before he vanished.

"Ugh…" groaned both Cloud and Angelina.

"Cloud, Angie!" said Tifa in a worried tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina.

"Cloud, Angelina!" said Laina, worried as well.

"Get a hold of yourselves, both of you!" said Cid sharply.

Both Cloud and Angelina heard their voices through the throbbing pain in their heads and just as suddenly as the pain comes, it fade away. Both Cloud and Angelina then shook their heads, lowered their hands and opened their eyes to glance at the rest of their friends/companions (who had worry looks on their faces).

"Hmmm… Just now, Sephiroth said to us both…" Cloud began saying to them.

"He told us to… "Head North"… "Past the Snow Fields"…" finished Angelina.

"He said that?" said Kunsel.

"Yeah." said both Cloud and Angelina.

"Let's go then." said Barret.

XXXX

3 days and 2 nights after Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions leave the City of the Ancients (and fought/killed some Bandersnatch and Jumping monsters along the way), they finally arrived at a remote snowy/icy village known as the Icicle Inn which was built in between 2 tall and snowy mountains in the middle of the snowy fields (built for travellers who's heading North for journeys/expeditions into the "Great Glacier" and beyond the unknown mountains). Chilling cold winds and almost thigh-high drifts of pure white snow had slowed their journey considerably and causing them to frequently stop to warm themselves up to avoid getting frozen and died in the freezing, bitter cold.

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions sighed in relieved (except for Laina, Kunsel and Vincent) as they went through the entrance, entered the village and they spotted the inn immediately (which stands between a small house and a semi-large house on the east side of the village). Barret, Tifa, Red XIII, Yuffie, Selwyn, Cid, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter immediately headed straight for the inn and went into it for some warmth, food and drinks, except for Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel and Vincent. After Barret, Tifa and the others went into the inn, both Cloud and Angelina decided to head toward the Item shop standing between the Weapon and Accessory shop to their right to buy some X-potions, Ethers, Somas and some warm coats (for themselves and their friends/companions to wear to avoid the freezing cold) on the west side of the village with Vincent following behind them to help out while both Laina and Kunsel decided to head toward the small house on the left side of the inn (due to curious feelings in their minds/hearts) and they open the door and went into the house.

Once both Laina and Kunsel are inside the house, they look around the place and saw that the room is filled with dozens of machines with many different-coloured buttons and glass screens on them against the wall (which had several flashing red lights attached on the wall) to their left, a long rectangular wooden table with a single book lying on it and a wooden chair near it in front of them (with an old blue-coloured carpet under the table on the dusty floor) and a staircase to their right which leads down to a basement room. After both Laina and Kunsel are done looking around the room, they turned to their left to approach one of the machines (which stands between 2 other machines) and Laina pressed a random blue button on the middle machine. After Laina pressed the random blue button, the middle machine turns on and they saw that there's 3 video diary/logs on the glass screen of the machine with the titles "The Original Crisis", "What is Weapon?" and "Confidential" below the 3 video diary/logs.

"Videos about "The Original Crisis", "What Is Weapon" and "Confidential"? _"_ said Laina as she glance at the 3 video diary/logs on the glass screen of the machine.

"Why don't you play the videos and we both watched it?" said Kunsel. "The videos could have important/useful informations to us."

Laina turn her head to glance at Kunsel for a few seconds and she nodded in agreement to him before she turn to glance back at the machine's glass screen, pressed the "Play" button on the machine to watch "The Original Crisis" video first. Both Laina and Kunsel watched as the glass screen turn black for a second before it shows the same room which they're now standing in (while the entire scenery around the room in the video is slightly green in colour). A man (who had his back to them) with short black hair, wearing a white lab coat and long brown-coloured trousers is busy adjusting with the middle machine in front of him (which caused the camera attached against the ceiling to move up and down) while a woman with long brown-coloured hair, wearing a long-sleeve red-coloured dress stands behind the man and watched him do something to the machine. After the man is done adjusting the middle machine, he turned around, walked toward the woman, halted in his tracks in front of her, lifted his head to glance up at the camera hanging on the wall and he nodded in satisfaction before he turned around to glance at the machine which he had just walked away from a few seconds ago.

" _Camera's ready!" said the black-haired scientist man before he turned away from the machine to glance at the long, brown-haired woman next to him. "Then, Ifalna, please tell us about the "Cetra"."_

" _That brown-haired woman in the video knows about "Cetra", like Aeris?"_ thought Laina to herself. " _Don't tell me that she's…"_ Laina stops her train of thoughts to resumed watching the video.

 _The woman nodded to the scientist before she began speaking. "2000 years ago, our ancestors, the "Cetra", heard the cries of the Planet. The first ones to discover the Planet's wound were the "Cetra" at the "Knowlespole"."_

" _Tell us, Ifalna…" the scientist asked Ifalna. "Where is the land called "Knowlespole"?"_

" _Knowlespole refers to this area." answered Ifalna. "The Cetra then began a Planet-reading."_

" _Ifalna, what exactly does this Planet-reading entail?" the scientist asked Ifalna the second time._

"… _I can't explain it very well, but it's like having a direct conversation with the Planet…" answered Ifalna as she turned to look away from the scientist. "It said to me that something fell from the sky and creating a large wound on the Planet. Thousands of Cetra gathered together, trying to healed the Planet… But, due to the severity of the large wound, it was only able to healed itself, over many years."_

" _Do the Ancients, or rather, the Cetra, have special powers to healed the Planet?" the scientist asked Ifalna the third time._

 _Ifalna shake her head when she heard what the scientist just said. "No, it's not that kind of power. The life force of all living things on this Planet becomes the energy. The Cetra desperately tried to cultivate the land so as not to diminish the needed energy…"_

" _Hmmm, even here so close to the North Cave, the snow never melts and the cold blizzard never diminish." said the scientist as he raised his left hand and placed his left hand under his chin in deep pondering. "Is that because the planet's energy is gathered here to healed its injury?"_

" _Yes." said Ifalna as she lowered her head to glance down at the floor. "The amount of energy that was needed to healed the Planet's injury slowly withered away the land… then the Planet itself… The Planet tried to persuade the Cetra to leave the Knowlespole immediately, but…" Ifalna ceased her talking and lapsed into silence._

" _Ifalna… let's take a break." said the scientist to Ifalna when he noticed that she had stop talking._

 _Ifalna lifted her head, turn around to glance at the scientist and shake her head. "I'm all right…" said Ifalna in a reassuring tone of voice to the scientist before she resumed talking/telling him about the Cetra. "When the Cetra… were preparing to leave Knowlespole and part with the land they loved…" Ifalna turn away from the scientist. "That's when it appeared! It took on the forms of… our… our deceased mothers and… brothers. Showing us specters/memories of their pasts."_

" _Who is this "person" that appeared before the Cetra at the North Cave?" the scientist asked Ifalna the fourth time. "I haven't any idea."_

" _That's when the one who injured the Planet… or the "Crisis from the sky", as we call him, came." said Ifalna before she lowered her head and covered her face with both of her hands. "He first approach the Cetra as a friend before he deceives them and finally… gave them the virus."_

 _Ifalna lowered her hands from her face and lifted her head. "The Cetra were attacked by the virus which he gave to them and went mad… transforming into dangerous monsters/beasts." said Ifalna before she kneel down to the floor and the scientist quickly approach and stand behind her kneeling form worriedly. "Then, just like what he had done to the Cetra who live at Knowlespole, he approached several other Cetra clans scattered throughout the Planet… and infecting them with… the same virus…"_

 _Ifalna lapsed into silence and didn't say anymore words._

" _You don't look well… Let's call it a day."_ said the scientist to Ifalna before he turned around, walked toward the middle machine, pressed some buttons on it and both Laina and Kunsel watched as the video diary/log title "The Original Crisis" ceased playing and faded to black.

After both Laina and Kunsel watched the first video diary/log on the machine, Laina then pressed the "Play" button for the next video with the title "What Is Weapon?" written on it and soon the video began playing and showing them both the same room with the scientist (who's busy adjusting with the middle machine again) and the long, brown-haired woman named Ifalna (who's standing in the far left corner of the room near the long rectangular table, watching the scientist as he adjusted the middle machine). After the scientist is done in adjusting the middle machine, he turned around, walked away from the machine before he halted in his tracks to glance at Ifalna.

" _Ifalna, can you comment to me on the things called "Weapon"?" the scientist asked Ifalna._

" _Yes, Professor Gast." answered Ifalna with a small nod of her head to the scientist named Gast._

" _So his name is Professor Gast, huh?"_ thought Laina to herself. " _That name sounds familiar to me, for some reason. Where have I heard it…"_ Laina slightly widened her eyes in surprise/shock when she suddenly remembers where she heard the name of Professor Gast before. " _That's the name of the scientist which Sephiroth spoke out from 1 of the books he's reading in the old office room next to the underground laboratory under Shinra mansion before he gone mad."_

"Hey, Laina. What's wrong?" said Kunsel in a worry tone of voice when he saw the slightly surprise/shock look on her face.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, Kunsel." said Laina hastily to Kunsel before she resumed watching the video, which make Kunsel raised his eyebrow in suspicion of her before he shrugged his shoulders and resumed watching the video with her.

 _Ifalna walked to the middle of the room before she halted in her tracks and turned to glance at Professor Gast (who raised and placed his right hand under his chin in deep pondering). "The one the professor mistook for a Cetra… was actually an evil creature named "Jenova". That is the "Crisis from the sky". The Planet knew that it had to destroy the "Crisis from the sky"… You see, as long as Jenova exists, the Planet will never be able to fully healed itself."_

" _Back then, "Weapon" was a kind of strong weapon that the Planet produced of it's own will?" Professor Gast asked Ifalna._

" _Yes, but… There is no record of Weapon ever being used." answered Ifalna with a shake of her head. "A small number of the surviving Cetra gathered together and managed to defeat Jenova before confining her away. The Planet did produced Weapon… but it was no longer necessary to use it."_

 _Professor Gast lowered his right hand and shrugged his shoulders. "So, Weapon no longer exists on this Planet?" said Professor Gast._

 _Ifalna shake her head at his words. "Weapon cannot vanish… It remains asleep somewhere on this Planet. Even though Jenova is confined, she could come back to life at some time… The Planet has not fully healed itself yet. It is still watching Jenova."_

" _So… where is Weapon now?" Professor Gast asked Ifalna the second time._

 _Ifalna turned to look away from him and shake her head. "I don't know… I can't hear the voice of the Planet clearly…" answered Ifalna. "Times… have changed. The Planet… is probably watching this situation silently and closely."_

 _After Ifalna is done talking, she raised her hands to rubbed/covered her face. When Professor Gast saw Ifalna raised her hands to rubbed/covered her face, he turned around to look away from her, bend his knees and shake his head for a few seconds before he turned back to glance at her._

"… _Thank you, Ifalna, that will be all for today…"_ said Professor Gast to Ifalna before he turned away from her, walked toward the middle machine, pressed some buttons on it and both Laina and Kunsel watched as the video diary/log title "What is weapon?" ceased playing and faded to black.

After both Laina and Kunsel watch the second video diary/log on the machine, Laina pressed the "Play" button for the next video/log title "Confidential. Daughter's Record: 10 days after birth" and soon the video began playing and they saw and hear nothing but darkness and silence on the video for a few seconds before they heard Ifalna's voice.

" _What are you doing, Profes… I mean, honey?" Ifalna's voice asked her husband, Professor Gast._

" _Oh, I'm thinking of taping it on video, Ifalna." answered Professor Gast's voice. "But, the video's not working right…"_

" _What are you going to tape, honey?" said Ifalna's voice. "Is there still something that I haven't mentioned to you?"_

" _No, that's not it, Ifalna." said Professor Gast's voice. "I'm going to record my beautiful daughter. And when she's asleep, her face… looks like an angel. First, we have to figure out a name for her. We can take the video later!" Professor Gast's voice lapsed into silence for a few seconds (probably thinking about what name to give to his daughter)._

" _I've already decided! If it's a girl, then her name shall be Aeris. That's that!" said Ifalna's voice to Professor Gast, sounding quite happy._

" _I knew it. Those 2 are indeed Aeris's real parents."_ thought Laina sadly to herself.

" _You are SO selfish!" snapped Professor Gast's voice lightly to Ifalna. "But I've to admit, Aeris is quite a good name! Hee hee… it's a good name, considering that it came out of that forgetful head of yours!"_

" _Right!?" said Ifalna's voice. "Oh, the video tape…"_

The third video stop playing and Laina pressed the "Play" button for the next and last video diary/log title "Confidential. Daughter's Record: 20 days after birth" and soon both Laina and Kunsel watched as the last video started playing and showing them both yet the same room with Professor Gast (who's busy adjusting with the middle machine once again) and his wife Ifalna, who approach Professor Gast before she halted in her tracks next to his right.

" _Video again?" said Ifalna as she glance at her husband with a light scowling look on her face. "You just got through taping!"_

"… _Please don't say it that way, Ifalna." said Professor Gast as he turned to glance at Ifalna with an apologetic look on his face. "It's our lovely daughter, both yours… and mine! Don't you want to capture her childhood on videotape?"_

" _If you keep doting on her like that, she won't grow up to be strong…" said Ifalna. "Aeris is different from the other childrens. I wonder what kind of dangers awaited her…?"_

" _Never say that, Ifalna!" said Professor Gast as he turned to look away from her. "I will protect both you and Aeris no matter what!" Professor Gast stop talking for a few seconds and turned back to glance at Ifalna. "Both you and Aeris are my precious treasures. I'll never let the 2 of you go!"_

" _I feel so much better/relieved now, darling." said Ifalna in a very happy/relieved tone of voice to Professor Gast. "If I haven't met you, I…"_

 _Ifalna lapsed into silence at the same time Professor Gast approach her and pull her in for a hug. Ifalna gasped lightly at his sudden sweet action before a smile spread across her face and she raised her hands and hugged him back. A few seconds later, both of them broke apart from their hugging, glance at each other with love/adoration on both their faces and just as they were about to kiss, an abrupt knock on the door of their house interrupted their sweet moment._

" _Who could that—I was just about to…" grumbled Professor Gast as he turned away from Ifalna to glance at the door, annoyed at the sudden interruption. "Damn!" Professor Gast cursed out as he raised both of his hands to clutch his head in an annoyed/anger attitude while Ifalna covered her face with her hands in dismay/disappointment. Professor Gast then lowered his hands down to his sides and turned back to glance at Ifalna. "How dare they intrude on our "sweet and private time" together!" said Professor Gast to Ifalna._

" _I'll send them away, darling." said Ifalna to Professor Gast, who nodded his head in agreement to her and she nodded back to him. "Yes, at once! Who the devil?"_

 _After Ifalna's done talking to Professor Gast, she walked away from him, walked up the short steps toward the front door and opened the door to see who is it (while a gust of cold blizzard wind blow into the house after Ifalna open the door)._

" _It, it's them!" said Ifalna in a slightly loud and fearful tone of voice to Professor Gast when she saw whoever it is standing outside their house before she quickly turned around, run away from the door and hide behind Professor Gast's back._

 _Right after Ifalna run away from the front door and hide behind her husband, 2 Shinra infantrymen armed with assault rifles in their hands came charging into the room before they both stop/stands on either sides of both Professor Gast and Ifalna. And following behind the 2 infantrymen is none other than Hojo himself._

Both Laina and Kunsel's face instantly turn dark with pure anger/hatred when they saw Hojo appeared in the video diary/log.

" _Heh, heh, heh…" Hojo chuckled as he walked toward both Professor Gast and Ifalna and halted in his tracks in front of them. "I've been searching far and wide for you, Ifalna… or should I say, Cetra! And also, long time no see, Professor Gast!"_

" _Hojo… How did you know where to find us?" demanded Professor Gast._

" _Believe me, Professor Gast. I had to turn over a stone or two to find you." said Hojo as he turn to look away from Professor Gast (who lowered and shake his head at Hojo). "2 years I've waited… That's how long and how much I wanted this new sample for my experiment… Ha, ha, ha, ha." Hojo lapsed into silence and turn back to glance at both Professor Gast (who shake his head some more) and Ifalna (who covered her face with her hands in worry/fear)._

"… _New sample for your experiment? You don't mean my daughter, Aeris!?" said Professor Gast in a loud and shocked tone of voice to Hojo before he angrily grabbed the collar of Hojo's lab coat tightly in his hands. The 2 infantrymen immediately raised and pointed their assault rifles at Professor Gast, which froze him and Hojo immediately swatted Professor Gast hands away from his collar._

" _Hmmm, Aeris? What a nice name for your daughter… Ha, ha ha, ha." said Hojo in a mocking tone of voice to Professor Gast before he began chuckling to himself._

" _That's it!" said Professor Gast as he lowered his head to stared down at the floor. "I'm severing all ties with the Shinra. Hojo, please leave."_

 _Right after Professor Gast say those words to Hojo, Ifalna suddenly run out from behind her husband toward Hojo and kneel down on the floor in front of him._

" _Ifalna!" said Professor Gast in a shocked tone of voice when he saw Ifalna kneeling down in front of Hojo (who glance away from Professor Gast to glance at her)._

" _Please, Aeris had nothing to do with this!" pleaded Ifalna. "All you want is me, right? Just take me instead!"_

 _Hojo ponders about Ifalna's words for a few seconds then slowly shook his head at her. "I'll need all of you for my experiments." said Hojo to Ifalna (which make the worry/fear look on her face deepen even more) before he turn away from her to glance at Professor Gast. "You understand, don't you, Professor Gast? Together, we can change the future of the Planet!"_

 _Professor Gast ignored Hojo's words, glance away from him and kneel down next to Ifalna. "Don't you worry about a thing, Ifalna. I'll take care of this!" said Professor Gast to Ifalna in a reassuring tone of voice._

" _Please don't put up any resistance or fight against us, Professor Gast. I don't want any harm to come to my precious samples." said Hojo to Professor Gast before he turn to his right, lifted his head to glance up at the wall and noticed the camera hanging on the wall. "Mmmm? What a strange-looking camera. Guard! Destroy that camera!"_

The infantryman standing on Hojo's right immediately turned to his right, raised and pointed his assault rifle at the camera, shot a single bullet at the camera to destroy it and causing both Laina and Kunsel unable to see what's going on in the video diary/log but they were able to hear what's happening.

" _Be careful with her. Ha, ha, ha, ha…" said Hojo in a happy tone of voice before he began laughing._

Both Laina and Kunsel then heard the sound of Professor Gast punching Hojo (which make them smirk a little).

" _Wh… What are you doing, Professor!?" said Hojo in a shocked tone of voice._

" _Ifalna! Take Aeris and get out of here now!" Professor Gast told Ifalna._

Both Laina and Kunsel heard the sound of more struggling between both Professor Gast and Hojo before the sound of a gunshot suddenly rang out and they both heard (and gasped) Professor Gast as he groaned in pain before he fell down to the floor.

" _Eyaaaaaah… Darling…!" screamed Ifalna's voice when she saw her husband got shot before he fell down to the floor._

" _Such a pity, Professor Gast." said Hojo's voice to Professor Gast before he began speaking to one of the 2 infantrymen with him. "Oh, and uh… don't forget the child!"_

" _Understood, Professor Hojo!" replied one of the 2 infantrymen voice._

" _Hmmm, video diary/logs? The Ancients… Weapon!?"_ said Hojo's voice a few seconds later and both Laina and Kunsel gasped again when they heard that Hojo had found and see the video diary/logs in the machine.

" _Heh, heh, heh, heh… a huge mountain of knowledge and treasure!" said Hojo's voice in a very happy tone of voice. "Thank you, Professor Gast… Ha, ha, ha, ha."_

The last video diary/log stop playing and Laina pressed the "Stop" button and turn off the middle machine before she turn to glance at Kunsel with sadness/despair (for Aeris and her real parents) on her face. Kunsel glance at her with the same sadness/despair look on his face for them as well.

"Poor Professor Gast and Ifalna, Aeris's real parents… And poor Aeris for not able to see all this videos about them before she…" said Laina in a sad tone of voice before the sadness/despair look on her face got replaced by a look of anger/hatred. "Damn you, Hojo! Just when I thought that I couldn't hate the bastard even more…"

"… Some more of his heinous crimes came out and make you hate him even more." said Kunsel in a dark tone of voice.

"Yes, exactly, Kunsel." said Laina with a quick nod of her head. "The next time I see that bastard, I'll beat him or kill him terribly with my bare hands or my Geneva saber."

Both Laina and Kunsel then lapsed into silence for a few minutes inside the room before they finally turned around and left the house to joined up with Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions.


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51: Snowboarding fun and meeting Holzoff**

"Cloud, are you still blaming yourself for Aeris's death?" asked Angelina as she glance at Cloud (who still had a sad/grim look on his face) after the both of them and Vincent came out of the Item shop and stop in their tracks outside the Item shop (after they managed to purchase some X-potions, Ethers, Somas and some warm coats from the Item shop to help them on their journey).

"Yeah, Angie." replied Cloud in a small and sad tone of voice. "I'm still blaming myself for what happen to Aeris. I should have sensed Sephiroth's presence from above us and I should have rushed forward to protect Aeris from him, instead I just stood by and watched silently as Sephiroth fell down from above her and impaled her through her stomach with his Masamune blade, which ended her life."

"Cloud, what happen to Aeris a few days ago back in the City of the Ancients was a tragedy and all of us were very sadden for her death and very angry at Sephiroth for killing her in front of all of us. But even so, Cloud… don't blame yourself too much for what happen to Aeris." said Angelina, trying to console Cloud.

"Angie, I appreciate that you're trying to console me with your kind and reassuring words but it's not going to work." said Cloud with a small sigh. "It doesn't change the inevitable fact that Aeris is no longer with all of us. The last image of the look of surprise and fear which I saw in Aeris's eyes when she saw Sephiroth sword coming out through her stomach before Sephiroth pull his sword out of her and Aeris close her eyes and fell into death is branded in my memory."

Both Cloud and Angelina then lapsed into silence after Cloud say those words out for a short while before Cloud, Angelina and Vincent (who remained silent throughout their conversation) began walking away from the Item shop, joined up with both Laina and Kunsel (who just came out and walked away from a house) before all 5 of them walked past the other houses in the snowy village toward the inn where the rest of their friends/companions were waiting.

When Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel and Vincent walked through the front door into the inn, all 5 of them saw the rest of their friends/companions huddled around a large fire near the front door of the inn and absorbing the warmth of the fire (after they had their foods and drinks and pay for it). When Tifa, Barret and the others turn their heads and saw Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel and Vincent came into the inn, they reluctantly stood up and pull themselves away from the warm fire to joined up with Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel and Vincent (who quickly gave each of them warm coats to wear on to avoid the cold outside and they thanked the 5 of them for it) before all of them turned around and left the inn.

After Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions left the inn, they turned to their left and walked down a snowy path which leads to the village's only exit between several tall pine trees with snow on its leaves to the north at the top of the slope leading toward the snowy northern mountains. As Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions walked on the snowy path, they soon saw a short black hair man wearing a dark green T-shirt, dark blue jeans with a black jacket over his dark green T-shirt is walking briskly back and forth near the exit to keep himself warm. The man look up and saw Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions approached and when he saw them began to walk past him toward the exit, he quickly ran over and intercepted them before they could take another step further.

"No, don't, all of you!" yelled the man in a worried tone of voice to Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions (who stop in their tracks to glance at him). "It's a steep and dangerous downgrade, past this exit here. So please turn around, go back to the village and don't go any further!"

"We're still going, so step aside." said Cloud in a cold tone of voice to the man.

"Damn, what a cold attitude you got there, young man." said the man to Cloud with a disgruntle look on his face. "And here I was being nice to you…" the man lapsed into silence when he look over Cloud's right shoulder at the village entrance and take a step back. "What the? Who are those people coming through the entrance into the village over there? Looks like trouble!"

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions turn around (while the man immediately turn to his left and run into the pine trees for safety) to glance at the village's entrance and they soon saw a group of 4 Shinra infantrymen marching through the snow into the village, with Elena marching at the front of the group of 4 Shinra infantrymen with her black suit uniform dark and damp due to the snow, her short blonde hair clammy and strewn across her pale-looking face and red cheeks.

After Elena (who sighed in relieved when she saw the warm glows of fires coming from inside the houses) marched into the village with the group of 4 Shinra infantrymen, she saw Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions standing on the snowy path near the exit of the village, watching her and her group of 4 infantrymen. Elena then turned around to glance at the 4 infantrymen standing behind her.

"There they are, hurry!" Elena yelled in a commanding voice to the 4 infantrymen before she turned away from them.

"Yes, ma'am!" yelled all 4 of the infantrymen back to her before all 4 of them run behind Elena as she quickly run toward Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions (who didn't make any attempts to run away from Elena and the 4 infantrymen who followed her since they're no major threats to them). When Elena and her group of 4 infantrymen finally reached Cloud, Angelina and their friend/companions, they stopped in their tracks and Elena put her hands on her damp and tired knees and panted heavily.

"Cloud…. Angelina… huff… wheeze…" panted Elena as she glance at them. "I won't let the 2 of you and your friends/companions go any further!"

"And why not, Elena?" Angelina asked her, crossing her arms.

"What's down there behind us?" Cloud asked Elena as he shrugged his shoulders.

"It's a SE-CR-ET." replied Elena in a smug tone of voice and with a haughty look on her face before she raised and waved her left hand dismissively. "But that doesn't matter to me! You and your friends/companions got a lot of guts doin' my boss and my fellow Turk member in like that!"

"Your boss and your fellow Turk member?" said Angelina with a slightly confused look on her face.

"Are you talking about Tseng and Mark?" said Laina as she remember about both Tseng and Mark who lay injured on the altar floor near the entrance of the Temple of the Ancients after Sephiroth attacked them both.

"That wasn't us." Cloud interjected hurriedly to Elena. "Sephiroth did it. He's the one who attacked and injured them both."

"No! I don't believe you!" barked Elena to Cloud as she shake her head and clench her hands into tight fists. "Don't think that you can fool me with that petty excuse, you lying SOLDIER man!"

"I'm not lying to you…" said Cloud with a small sigh and a dismay shake of his head to Elena. "It really was Sephiroth."

"Cloud's telling the truth." said Angelina. "We were all there and we saw Sephiroth attacked them both…"

"Enough! I don't want to hear any more of your lying words!" yelled Elena loudly and angrily at Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions while her body began shaking with rage and a look of hatred appear on her face.

"Oh, man…" Cloud groaned and scratch his head when he realised that Elena would not back down (while Angelina scowled at Elena's angry attitude).

Elena ceased talking, crossed her arms and tapped her right foot thoughtfully in the snow. "Looks like talking alone won't cut it. You're going to have to feel some pain!" said Elena to Cloud with a nod of her head before she raised her tightly clench fists in a kind of clumsy looking martial arts stance.

"Just you… and me!" said one of the infantrymen standing behind Elena before he began to stepped forward.

"No, there's no need for you to do it! I can handle him by myself!" interrupted Elena as she thrust her left arm out to prevent the infantryman from stepping forward. "There's no way that he can avoid my punch."

"W-What? Yeah…" said the infantryman with a dubious look on his face under his helmet at Elena before he stepped backward to give her some space to punch Cloud (while exchanging a few mocking glances with his fellow infantrymen).

Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions watched as Elena prepared herself to strike/punch Cloud and just as Elena swung her right fist toward Cloud's face, he swiftly dodged to the side to avoid her obvious and inexperience punch. After Cloud dodged to the side to avoid Elena's punch, Elena began to waved her arms frantically when she realised that she placed too much weight on her back foot in her forward momentum, trying to keep herself from falling down to no avail. She then tried to reach for both Laina and Kunsel, who were standing nearest to her but they stepped backward, out of her reach and soon Elena lose her balance and fall face-down into the snow. Right after Elena fell face-down into the snow, she was unfortunately caught by the gradual decline of the village's path to the exit and began rolling down the snowy path, away from Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions (some of them had amused looks on their faces when they saw Elena rolling down the snowy path) and the group of infantrymen until she turned/rolled to her left and finally disappear through the exit and out of the village.

"Ele… Elena!?" one of the infantryman cried out when he and his fellow infantrymen (who had bewildered looks on their faces under their helmets) saw Elena fell and roll down the snowy path, away from them and their enemies standing to the side in front of them through the exit and out of the village and they began to run down the snowy path past Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions, through the exit and out of the village in pursuit of Elena.

Right after Elena and her group of infantrymen had left the village, the man who hide in the safety of the pine trees came out of his hiding place. "What the…? Those people sure are weak for Shinras." said the man to himself before he resumed his walk near the exit of the snowy village while Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions gather together to discuss and ponder deeply about their next course of action, which is on how to get the proper transportations for all of them to ride down the snowy slope before all of them turn to their right and head back to the village to search and purchase some needed transportations.

15 minutes after Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions head back to the village and split up to search and purchase some needed transportations, all of them managed to find their own transport solutions to their own travelling dilemma. Both Cloud and Angelina managed to get 2 bright reddish yellow-coloured snowboards from 2 twin boys (who lose interest in their 2 snowboards after they got their knees injured while riding down one of the small snow slopes near the village) inside a single-storey wooden house standing in the middle of the village, Laina, Kunsel, Vincent and Cid managed to find 4 more snowboards (which is dark green, purple, white and black in colour) that the owner of the Accessory shop is willing to give away to them. Barret, Tifa, Selwyn, Nina, Carter, Cait Sith and Red XIII managed to find some sturdy-looking wooden sledges for them to share and sit on inside the Weapon shop while Yuffie herself managed to find a pair of wooden skis as well as a map for the "Great Glacier" hanging on the wall inside the Item shop (which she gave to Laina, who took the map from Yuffie before she folded it and put it into her right pants pocket under her long velvet blue coat).

Once Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions had obtained their own snowboards, sledges and skis in the village, they turn to their left, walked away from the village down the snowy path past the man (who's still walking briskly back and forth near the exit), through the exit and all of them halted in their tracks at the top of the snowy slope.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel, Vincent and Cid then kneel down to fasten and check the brown-coloured leather straps around their feets on the snowboards to make sure the straps were fitting and tight enough. Once they were absolutely sure the straps were fit/tight enough around their feets, they stood up and Cloud, Angelina and Laina turn their heads to glance at the others. Barret, Selwyn and Carter were sitting on the sturdy-looking wooden sledges (which they managed to obtain inside the Weapon shop) with Red XIII sitting behind Barret, Tifa sitting behind Selwyn and both Nina and Cait Sith sitting behind Carter while Yuffie stand on the wooden skis which she managed to obtain inside the item shop (after she check and strap her feets firmly on the wooden skis).

"Is everyone ready?" said Cloud to Angelina, Laina and the others.

"I'm ready, Cloud." replied Angelina.

"Same goes for me and the others." replied Lainawhile Tifa, Barret and the others nodded to Cloud.

Cloud nodded back to them before he look away from them, cautiously slid himself forward while using his left foot to push the snowboard forward until he stopped at the edge of the snowy slope, look down and gulped a little when he saw how deep, far and steep the snowy slope is.

"You're not getting cold feet now, are you, Cloud?" teased Angelina when she noticed the slightly pale look on Cloud's face.

"O-Of course not, Angie!" replied Cloud. "Let's go!"

Soon after Cloud say those words to Angelina, he pushed himself and his snowboard away from the edge and down the snowy slope and Angelina, Laina and the others quickly pushed themselves and their own snowboards, sledges and skis down the snowy slope behind him. Soon after they descended down the deep and steep snowy slope with their snowboards, sledges and skis, they instantly got hit by a harsh, cold and snowy arctic wind and within minutes they began to felt stinging cold pains on their entire bodies as the harsh, cold and snowy arctic wind pierced into their skins (except for Laina, Kunsel and Vincent who's completely unfazed by the harsh, cold and snowy arctic wind blowing at their faces and bodies).

As Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions continue sliding down the snowy slope, some of them managed to turn their snowboards, sledges and skis to their left or right to avoid huge snowmens with blue buckets on their heads, huge penguins who sat on the snow, huge light grey-coloured moogles with skis on their feets as they slide back and forth on the snow slope in front of them, some wooden logs covered with snow (some of them shouted with joy as they slide down the snowy slope on their sledges and skis like Selwyn, Tifa, Carter, Nina, Cait Sith and Yuffie), slide through several narrow tunnels and a forest of snowy pine trees (some of them collided with the snowy pine trees head-on and let out a few cursing words after the collision before they get on their snowboards/sledges and resumed sliding down the snowy slope) until they saw a sudden Y-turn in front of them and before either Cloud or Angelina could yelled and warned their friends/companions behind them about it, both Cloud and Angelina quickly turn their snowboards to their left to avoid getting themselves hit by the cliff face and slide down the Y-turn left path.

Behind both Cloud and Angelina (after they slide down the Y-turn left path), the rest of their friends/companions were having similar problems when they saw the sudden Y-turn in front of them and each of them turned their snowboards, sledges and skis in different paths to avoid getting hit by the cliff face. Laina, Kunsel, Vincent and Yuffie slide down the left path after both Cloud and Angelina while Barret, Tifa, Selwyn, Nina, Carter, Red XIII and Cid slide down the right path, separated from the Cloud, Angelina and the others.

Both Cloud and Angelina decided to turn their heads to risk a glance over their shoulders behind them to see their friends/companions and they only saw Laina, Kunsel, Vincent and Yuffie sliding down the snowy slope behind them. Both Cloud and Angelina had annoyed looks on their faces when they saw that Barret, Tifa and the others went down the Y-turn right path and turned their heads back to focused their attention back on the snowy slope in front of them.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel, Vincent and Yuffie continue sliding down the snowy slope, turn their snowboards and skis left and right to avoid some more huge light-grey coloured moogles sliding back and forth on their skis, some huge round-shaped snowballs which rolled back and forth and some icy igloo houses until they saw the end of the snowy slope in front of them which became thin and sloped suddenly upward into the air above a long drop and all 6 of them braced themselves on their snowboards and skis for the jump.

Once Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel, Vincent and Yuffie reached the edge of the snowy slope, all 6 of them slide over the edge of the snowy slope and upward into thin air before they all lowered their heads to look below them and saw with surprised/worried looks on their faces at how far the snowy ground is below them before they began falling down rapidly. As they began falling, Laina quickly uses her "Telekinesis" on herself and on the others to lessen the impact/damage they'll have on their bodies before all 6 of them landed face-down on the snowy ground with loud thumping sounds (while their snowboards and skis under their feets broke apart upon impact on the ground).

For a few minutes Cloud, Angelina and the others didn't move from their spots before they slowly rolled onto their backs, open their eyes and take a few deep and cold breaths (which make Cloud, Angelina and Yuffie winced a little due to the coldness) before they slowly sat up and unclip the leather straps of their now broken snowboards and skis away from their legs. Once the snowboards and skis was off of their feets, Cloud, Angelina and the others slowly stood up from the snowy ground and proceed to brush off the snow which covered their clothes.

"Ugh…" Cloud groaned as he felt his body ached from the impact of the fall (after he's done brushing the snow away from his clothes).

"Are you all right, Cloud?" Angelina asked him in a concern/worry tone of voice.

"I'm fine, Angie." replied Cloud in a reassuring tone of voice to her before he glance at Laina, Kunsel, Vincent and Yuffie. "I guess we're still in one piece. Is everyone all right?"

"Yeah, somehow." said Laina with a nod of her head.

"I'm fine." said Kunsel, nodding as well.

"So do I." said Vincent.

"That was awesome! Can we do it again?" said Yuffie in a happy tone of voice to them.

"No!" said Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel (while Vincent stay silent) as they scowled at her (which make her pouted in disappointment).

"So, where did we land now?" said Cloud to Angelina and the others before he, Angelina and the others take a look at their surroundings and they saw that they are standing on a snowy path with huge rocky walls covered heavily with snows on both sides of the snowy path while a cold and strong blizzard wind blows all around them.

"Looks like we've jumped pretty far from the snowy slope…" said Kunsel.

"And we got separated from Tifa, Barret and the others and had no idea where they're now…" said Laina with a small shake of her head.

"Don't worry, Laina. I'm sure that we'll find Tifa, Barret and the others soon enough." said Angelina as she turn to glance at Laina. "Besides, don't you have the "Great Glacier" map which Yuffie gave to you?"

"Yeah, I did." said Laina as she pull the folded up map out of her right pants pocket and gave it to Cloud, who took the map from her with a grateful nod of his head.

"It sure is getting colder now." said Cloud to Angelina and the others. "We'll freeze to death if we stay here any longer."

Angelina, Laina, Kunsel, Vincent and Yuffie nodded in agreement to Cloud and they watched as Cloud opened up the "Great Glacier" map which Laina just gave to him and looked down at it for a few seconds before he folded it up, put the map into his right pants pocket, turned to his right to walked down the snowy path, with Angelina and the others following behind him.

Soon after Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel, Vincent and Yuffie left the snowy path and stepped out into the wide open plains of ice and snow around them, they walked on the wide open plains of ice and snow for a while (and they fought/killed off some Shreds, Frozen Nails, Bandersnatches, Ice Golems, Lessaloploths, Magnades monsters and a Snow Woman monster which lives inside a solitary cave and which had an "Alexander" summon materia which Cloud take after they defeat the Snow Woman monster) before the temperature of the cold and snowy blizzard became too much for three out of the six group of people (even with the warm coats they wear on their bodies).

Both Angelina and Yuffie were the first 2 to fall victims to the cold blizzard before they fell face-down onto the cold snowy ground. Cloud, Laina, Kunsel and Vincent saw them fall and both Laina and Kunsel quickly approach and kneel down near them to try to woke them both up while trying to rubbed their arms and legs to warm them up to no avail. As they do so, Cloud was the next one to fall victim to the cold blizzard before he fell face-down onto the cold snowy ground near them. The last thing Cloud saw before he pass out was Vincent's sabaton feet as he approaches him.

XXXX

A few hours after Cloud, Angelina and Yuffie passed out from the cold and snowy blizzard, the 3 of them woke up to the sweet smells of hot chocolate and butter biscuits coming from nearby them before they slowly stood up from the ground which they're lying on (they look down and saw that they're standing on a kind of thick and warm sheet of wolf's furs which sprawl out on the wooden floor and which done the job of warming their cold bodies nicely) and saw that they're now inside a small bedroom with a small square-shaped cupboard against the wall to their left, a staircase next to the cupboard which leads toward the second floor/loft above their heads.

"You 3 awake now?" said an elderly man's voice suddenly from above them and Cloud, Angelina and Yuffie looked up and they saw as an elderly grey-haired, pale blue eyes man (who's wearing a white-coloured long sleeve T-shirt with a red-coloured vest over it, long brown pants and bronze-coloured shoes on his feet) came walking down the wooden staircase, reached the bottom of the stairs before he turned around to glance at them (and they saw that the elderly man is carrying a wooden tray with 3 cups of hot chocolate and a plate with several butter biscuits on it).

"The 3 of you collapsed at the Great Glacier. It's a miracle that you 3 are all right, thanks to your other 3 friends who carry you 3 on their backs until they met me." the elderly man explained briefly to Cloud, Angelina and Yuffie before he approach and gave them the cups of hot chocolate and the plate of butter biscuits to eat and drink (which they thanked him for it).

"Thanks." said Yuffie to the elderly man as she take and drank her cup of hot chocolate.

"Who are you, sir?" asked Angelina as both she and Cloud glance at the elderly man (after they drank some of the hot chocolate from their own cups).

"My name is Holzoff, young lady." answered the elderly man named Holzoff. "I've been living in this house near the Great Glacier for 20 years now. If you 3 and your other friends are planning to head North, you 3 and your friends better listen to my story first. Why don't we go to the next room and sit down in the living room? Your other friends are waiting for you 3 there." Holzoff told them before he, Cloud, Angelina and Yuffie turn around, walked up the short staircase out of the bedroom and into the living room (where Laina, Kunsel, Vincent, Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Selwyn, Cid, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter were and they were relieved to see Cloud, Angelina and Yuffie had woke up).

 **6 minutes later…**

"Do all of you ever heard about those who were brave enough to challenged the snowy cliff?" Holzoff asked Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions after they settled down in the living room and waiting to hear Holzoff's story.

"No, we don't, unfortunately." replied Cloud with a shake of his head.

"There's an old legend that says something fell from the sky right into this place a long time ago." Holzoff began telling them. "That's what's supposed to have pushed the land up and formed this huge snowy cliff. 30 years ago, me and my friend, Yamski took this cliff head-on to see what was on the other side. But, we weren't fully prepared for it. We did expect the temperature to be very low but…" Holzoff lapsed into silence for a few seconds before he raised his arms above his head. "On that cliff, there's always a biting cold wind blowing at you. The cold air lowers your body temperature." Holzoff lowered his arms and turn to look away from them. "My friend, Yamski, was below me. He cut his own rope… and I didn't even notice…"

"Oh dear…" said Angelina, Tifa and Nina with a sad/pity look on their faces.

Holzoff turn back to glance at them with a serious look on his face. "Ever since then, I've settled here… continuing to challenge the cliff and provide warning, foods, drinks and shelter to other fellow climbers. If all of you are going to climb up the cliff, there's 2 precautions that all of you'll need to take."

"And what are those 2 precautions we need to take?" asked Carter.

"Firstly, check your route… It's hard to find one because of all the thick snow and cold blizzard." answered Holzoff. "Secondly, once all of you get to a rocky ledge, all of you must make sure that you warm yourselves up. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." said Cloud with a nod of his head.

"We got it, Holzoff." said Angelina, nodding her head as well.

"All of you must have used up a lot of stamina/energy to get up here… Why don't all of you get some rest here for the night and head out tomorrow?" Holzoff told them.

"Really? Thank you very much, kind sir!" said Nina, smiling at Holzoff.

Holzoff smiled back at Nina before Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions finish their cups of hot chocolates and plates of butter biscuits (they thanked Holzoff for the butter biscuits and hot chocolates). After they're done eating and drinking, both Laina and Tifa helped Holzoff in washing/cleaning up the cups and plates in the kitchen next to the living room before all of them went off to sleep on various different corners inside Holzoff's house.


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52: Climbing up the Great Glacier and battle against Schizo**

Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions woke up and stood up from their warm and cozy slumber inside Holzoff's house, said their thanks to Holzoff, who said his apologies to them for not able to lend them any of his climbing equipment (since his climbing equipment is quite old, frayed and tattered now after 20 years). Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions reassured him that it's okay with them before they bade farewell to him, turned around, walked through the front door and stepped out of Holzoff's house.

After Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions stepped out of Holzoff's house, all of them saw that the cold snowy blizzard wind haven't diminish a tiny bit since yesterday. In fact, the cold snowy blizzard wind had increase into an even colder/bitter chilling wind, which causes some of them (Barret, Cid, Yuffie, Nina and Tifa) to wrapped their warm jackets/coats closer to their shivering bodies to try to keep themselves warm while they hopped from foot to foot and huddled close to the others who's not bothered by the bitter cold wind (Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel, Red XIII, Vincent, Selwyn, Carter and Cait Sith). Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions then turned to their right, lifted their heads and they soon saw the Gaea's Cliff/Mountain as it loomed in front of them.

"You know, Cloud. I've been thinkin'…" said Barret suddenly to Cloud.

"Thinking? About what, Barret?" asked Cloud as he glance at Barret.

"… Seein' a place like this, makes you realise just how awesome mother nature is." answered Barret. "But, if anyone ever told me to live here, I'd tell them to… you know…" Barret stop talking to take a deep breath then continue. "I tell you one thing though. If I did have to live here, I'd change things around 'n' make it better. I guess the total opposite would be… Midgar. When you think of it that way, Shinra company don't seem so bad…"

" _Barret…"_ thought Angelina with a scowl on her face before she slowly shake her head at his last few words.

Barret lapsed into silence, thought back to what he had just said to Cloud before he raised and waved his arms angrily above him. "Uuuuuurrrrrrgh!" Barret yelled loudly and angrily. "What the hell am I sayin'!? The Shinra company, not bad!?"

Both Yuffie and Nina giggled, Laina, Kunsel, Selwyn and Carter rolled their eyes while Cloud shake his head like Angelina did seconds ago and let out a deep sigh at Barret's display of anger before he turn his head to glance at both Angelina and Laina. "The 3 of us will secure the route ahead." said Cloud to both Angelina and Laina (who nodded back to him before they approach and stood next to him) before he glance away from them to the others. "The rest of you will come up later."

Tifa, Barret and the others nodded to Cloud while Cait Sith himself slowly approach Cloud, Angelina and Laina from behind, raised his small furry left hand to patted Cloud's shoulder to get his attention and Cloud turned around to glance at Cait Sith when he felt him patting his shoulder from behind (both Angelina and Laina also turned around to glance at Cait Sith).

"What is it, Cait Sith?" Cloud asked Cait Sith.

"Well, this is kind of a secret info, but…" said Cait Sith in a nervous tone of voice to Cloud, Angelina and Laina. "Rufus's and his fellow Shinra directors is going to arrive here, too."

" _They're, huh?_ " thought Laina as she crossed her arms.

Both Cloud and Angelina nodded to Cait Sith before the 2 of them and Laina (who uncrossed her arms) raised their arms to waved at Tifa, Barret and the others before they turned away from them and run up the snowy path which led to the bottom of Gaea's Cliff/Mountain. Once Cloud, Angelina and Laina reached the bottom of the Gaea's Cliff/Mountain, they raised their heads to look up at it for a few seconds before they began climbing up the cliff/mountain. As Cloud, Angelina and Laina climbed up the cliff/mountain, they had to stop on several snowy ledges on the cliff/mountain to warm themselves up from the cold wind which constantly blows around the cliff/mountain and on the 3 of them before they resumed their climb until they reached a dark cave entrance which leads into the cliff/mountain and Cloud placed a red flag (which Holzoff gave to them) outside of the dark cave entrance to marked it and to let Tifa, Barret and the others know about it before they went into the cave.

As Cloud, Angelina and Laina stepped into the cave, they take a look around the place and saw that the interior of the Gaea's Cliff/Mountain was made entirely of dark blue-coloured ice which was almost opague and had a mirror-like quality which reflects the openings of the tunnels and doorways against the icy wall in various corners inside the cave. Cloud, Angelina and Laina then navigated their way through the semi-large catacombs of the icy tunnels and the doorways inside the icy cave (while trying not to get themselves lost inside the catacombs of the tunnels and doorways, being careful to not slipped on the slippery icy paths under their feets and obtained some treasures like Ribbon, Javelin, Elixir, Fire Armlet, Megalixir, Speed Source and Enhance Sword inside treasure boxes lying in various corners inside the icy cave) until they came out of another cave exit and into the open cold air.

Cloud, Angelina and Laina proceed to rubbed their arms to slightly warm themselves up before they turned around and continue their climb up the Gaea's Cliff/Mountain. The next climb was slightly longer than the previous one, with the gaps between the snowy/rocky ledges on the cliff/mountain increasing (and they fight/killed off some Malboro, Headbomber and Zolokalter monsters along the way). Cloud, Angelina and Laina didn't say anything to each other and resumed their climbing until they reached a second dark cave entrance and quickly stepped into it. When all 3 of them stepped into the dark cavern, both Cloud and Angelina sighed in dismay/disappointment when they take a look around and saw that the cavern which they're now in had only 2 exits, the right exit leads out to the cold snowy blizzard and up the cliff/mountain while the left exit is completely blocked by a large pool of clear icy water. A number of empty circular holes were scattered throughout the floor of the cavern.

"Now what, Cloud? Which way do you think we should go next?" Angelina asked Cloud while she looked at both the right and left exit (while Laina stared at the both of them in silence).

Cloud didn't answer Angelina's question to him, instead he take another look around the cavern and the two exits in front of them before he lifted his head and spotted an upper icy/rocky ledge against the icy/rocky wall near the ceiling, with another doorway and a second lower ledge which crosses the length of the cavern to a third exit behind them. Four sharp and giant icicles hung on the ceiling above them.

"We'll go up there, Angie, Laina." said Cloud as he raised his left hand and pointed his finger at the third doorway above them and both Angelina and Laina lifted their heads and saw the third doorway. "And if I'm not mistaken, the left path in front of us will lead us toward the doorway above us." Cloud told both Angelina and Laina as he lowered his head and glance at them both over his right shoulder before he look away from them to pull his Buster Sword out from his back (and didn't see Laina raising her left hand above her). "You 2 stay here and wait for me while I cut those 4 icicles down…"

Cloud ceased talking when he heard 4 loud cracking sounds coming from the 4 icicles above him and he lifted his head to glance up at the 4 icicles and saw cracks forming and spreading rapidly on the 4 icicles before the 4 icicles broke free from the ceiling, fell and crash/landed onto the empty circular holes which scatters throughout the floor of the cavern and they became 4 icy pillars in the holes.

"There, one obstacle solved." said Laina to both Cloud and Angelina as she lowered her left hand near her side.

Both Cloud and Angelina glance at Laina and gave her grateful nods before the 3 of them jumped on one icy pillar to another up toward the third doorway above them and they went through the third doorway out to the open. As Cloud, Angelina and Laina stepped out of the doorway, they saw a snowy path in front of them and walked down the path into another cavern, walked through the cavern toward another doorway, came out of the doorway and saw that they're standing on yet another snowy ledge before they turned around and began climbing up the cliff/mountain.

"I wonder how Tifa and the others are doing now?" said Angelina to both Cloud and Laina as they climbed on. "Do you 2 think that they're climbing the cliff/mountain somewhere below us right now?"

"I'm sure they are, Angelina." said Laina to Angelina.

Just when Cloud, Angelina and Laina felt like they were about to pass out from the cold and exhaustion, they managed to reached the final snowy/rocky ledge above them, warmed their bodies up near a third dark cave entrance for a while before they went through the cave entrance and found themselves inside a smaller icy cave this time. They take a look around the interior of the smaller and slender cave and saw a large amount of huge icy blue-coloured crystals which grew like trees against the wall, gathering around a small circular pool of glowing mako water in the middle of the path near the only exit to the east of the cavern.

Cloud, Angelina and Laina approach and kneel down near the small circular pool of glowing mako water, dipped their hands into it and they felt their hands tingle a little from the mako water before they withdrew their hands back from the mako water, wiped their slightly wet hands on their clothes before all 3 of them turned to their right to walked through a doorway into a long and slightly narrow icy tunnel.

The moment Cloud, Angelina and Laina stepped through the doorway into the icy tunnel, they immediately heard the roar of a monster which came from in front of them and which echoed throughout the tunnel around them and all 3 of them halted in their tracks and pull their swords and naginata from behind them in preparation for a battle. Seconds after they heard the roar of a monster, a second loud yell of pain/anguish filled the tunnel and they watched with surprise/shock looks on their faces as a dark figure suddenly came flying in thin air in front of them from the exit on the other side of the tunnel before the dark figure landed heavily on the floor with a sickening crunch sound and slid to a stop in the middle of the tunnel.

"Ugh… Errgaahh!" the dark figure yelled loudly in pain/anguish for the second time as he tried to stand up and fell face-down onto the tunnel ground again. Cloud, Angelina and Laina immediately ran toward the dark figure and they kneel down near his fallen form but before they could check or help him up, tiny greenish light appear and surrounded the dark figure's body before the dark figure disappear into the Lifestream.

Right after the dark figure disappear into the Lifestream, Cloud, Angelina and Laina suddenly felt the entire narrow tunnel around them began to shake violently and they quickly stood up from the tunnel ground, gripped their weapons tightly in their hands to faced whatever kind of monster who killed and threw the dark figure in front of them. The sounds of the monster's footsteps and the shaking of the narrow tunnel got closer and more violent and soon Cloud, Angelina and Laina saw a two-headed dragon monster (named Schizo) with dark greenish-white skin, two long necks/heads (the right head is white in colour with yellow eyes on its face and sharp teeth in its mouth while the left head is red in colour with blue eyes, red scales and horns on its forehead), two short, thin arms on its huge body, two bulky-looking legs with sharp claws on them and three long scaly and menacing-looking tails swaying left and right behind its back.

Schizo's two heads hissed and screech as they caught the scent of fresh human preys before their eyes fell on Cloud, Angelina and Laina standing in front of it inside the narrow tunnel and its two heads let out loud duo roars at them before they open their mouths to let loose fierce orange and blue-coloured flames at them. But before Schizo's fierce orange and blue-coloured flames could burned the 3 of them, the flames suddenly struck an invisible wall and started to go harmlessly around Cloud, Angelina and Laina, like a flowing river around a rock. Schizo's fierce flame attacks lasted for 6 minutes until it ceased its flame attacks on them and Laina disabled her telekinetic wall when she saw that Schizo had stop its flame attacks on them before both Cloud and Angelina swiftly charge toward Schizo to concentrate and use their "Meteorain" and "Vital Slash" limit break on it.

Schizo roared loudly in anger and pain at both Cloud and Angelina using their limit breaks to injured it while dark red blood spurted/flowed heavily out from its body wounds before its two heads suddenly swung forward at both Cloud and Angelina with their mouths wide open and both Cloud and Angelina quickly dodged to their left and right to avoid Schizo's biting jaws closing on them. After Schizo failed to get both Cloud and Angelina, Laina raised her Geneva saber near her forehead, close her eyes to concentrate before she uses her "Exodus Blades" limit break on Schizo, causing multiple heavy slash wounds to appear on its duo heads, necks and body and Schizo let out final roars of pain before its two heads and body fell down onto the tunnel ground with a loud thud sound and dispersed into the Lifestream.

Right after Cloud, Angelina and Laina defeated and killed off Schizo and put their swords and naginata back behind them, all 3 of them heard the voices of their friends/companions calling out to them from behind and they turned around, saw them coming down the narrow tunnel toward them and Cloud, Angelina and Laina reunited with them before all of them turned and walked toward the other side of the tunnel where Schizo came from, went through the tunnel exit and back out into the cold snowy blizzard before they began climbing up the cliff/mountain together, using whatever rocky footholds and handholds they could see above them until the rocky wall of the cliff/mountain sloped inward just enough for Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions to walked on it.

When Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions reached the top of the cliff/mountain and halted in their tracks to looked down and over the edge of the cliff/mountain, they widened their eyes and their mouths fell open with awed, wonder and amazement at the extraordinary sight before them. A huge amount of the Planet's Lifestream is currently gushing out of a huge and deep crater hole in the middle of the Gaea's Cliff/Mountain like a huge geyser, sending a huge shower of sparkling greenish-white mako energy flying up to the sky before it fell back onto the ground. The huge shower of mako energy/geyser which gushes out of the huge and deep crater hole formed itself into a vast cylindrical pillar of light which is almost as bright as the bright stars that shone and the rippling northern lights in the night sky while a second cylindrical pillar of mako energy covered the inner mako energy/geyser, moving in a horizontal manner around the crater's perimeter.

"Wow." said Nina.

"Amazing." said Tifa.

"Incredible." said Red XIII.

"I agree with you 3, this place is quite amazing." said Carter with a nod of his head.

While the huge shower of mako energy gushes out of the huge and deep crater hole, thick layers of icy white-coloured mist seeped out of the crater's edge and rapidly spread across the rocky ground which blocked most of the path from Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions sights except for a single rocky path which leads down the inner slope from the upper edge of the cliff/mountain and into the thick layers of icy white-coloured mist.

Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions look away from the huge shower of mako energy in front of them and make their way carefully down and away from the upper edge of the cliff/mountain, walked down the single rocky path until Cloud suddenly halted in his tracks, raised his right hand to stop Angelina and the others from walking while he take a look around at the huge crater hole around them.

"An old crater…" said Cloud to Angelina, Laina and the others. "Something fell out of the sky and crashed down into this very spot… Leaving a huge wound/scar on the Planet."

" _You're right about what you just said, Cloud."_ thought Laina sadly to herself. " _This is the very place where "Jenova", the calamity from the sky fell into. The place which Ifalna, Aeris's mother told Professor Gast about in the videos which Kunsel and I watched back inside the empty house in Icicle Inn/Village."_

"Damn, that's somethin'." said Cid. "It's gathered all that mako energy to try an' heal its wound."

"And Sephiroth is going to use that huge mako energy to summoned Meteor." said Angelina. "If he succeed in summoning it, the wound on the Planet won't be so small next time. For the next wound would kill it."

"Then what're we waiting here for?" said Barret. "Let's go and stop him now!"

Cloud, Angelina glance at Barret then at the others (who also glance at one another) and they all nodded in unison before they resumed in walking down the crater's inner rocky slope (and slowly felt the warm heat of the white-coloured mist which seeped out of the crater's and which warmed their cold bodies up). But before Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions reached the bottom of the crater, they saw another black cloaked figure walking/staggering slowly down the inner rocky slope in front of them. When Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions approach the black cloaked figure from behind, they could heard his heavy labored breathing coming from his weak/painful lungs.

"…B, back …to …Sep …hi … roth …" the black cloaked figure gasped out before he fell face down onto the rocky ground, dead. Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions stared down at the man's lifeless body before the man's body dispersed and return to the Lifestream and they continue to walked down the slope without saying anything.

A few seconds later, Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions reached the bottom of the slope, stepped onto the misty ground one by one, look around and saw dozens of huge black-coloured serrated spiky rocks which rose up from the misty ground while the mist swirls around the rocks and around the bottom half of their bodies gently.

"The time has finally come for the 3 of us to settle things with Sephiroth, huh, Cloud, Angie?" asked Tifa as she turned to glance at both Cloud and Angelina. When they glance at her and nodded back to her, she sighed heavily before she turned to look away from them. "I, too, have lost many things because of Sephiroth." said Tifa before she suddenly turned back to them. "Let's go!"

Pretty soon Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions walked down the misty path past the black-coloured serrated spiky rocks around them until the path in front of them began to slant upward, taking them away from the mist and the serrated spiky rocks and on an uneven rocky path toward the crater. As Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions walked on down the uneven rocky path (while some of Cloud's friends/companions lowered their heads to stared down at the rivers of greenish-white mako energy which flows beneath the uneven rocky path which they walked on as the Lifestream gushes out from the depths of the crater hole), they halted in their tracks when they saw another black cloaked figure as he trembled and staggered uneasily down the uneven rocky path and before any of them could hurried forward to help the man out, he had already stepped off the edge of the path and fell into the Lifestream below with a slightly loud splash sound.

Right after Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions watched (and felt a little sad) the black cloaked figure fell to his death, Cloud noticed that the man had dropped another red-coloured summon materia (Neo-Bahamut summon) near the edge of the path and as Cloud walked forward and kneel down to picked it up, he felt the Bahamut summon which he had obtained after he, Angelina, Laina and Aeris had defeat the Red Dragon monster in the altar room inside the Temple of the Ancients began to resonate gently in his pants pocket (while Laina felt her Bahamut Fury summon resonate gently in her pants pocket as well) and he correctly assumed that the summon materia he's currently holding is another alternate form of Bahamut before he put the Neo-Bahamut summon materia into his pants pocket with the other materia and summon materia.

After Cloud put the summon materia into his pants pocket, he, Angelina and their friends/companions resumed their walk down the uneven rocky path, which became more rocky, broken and disjointed as they continue to walked on (sometimes they had to turn around and went down another path when the path they walked on turns out to be a dead end while other times they had to jumped over large gap holes on the rocky path in order to continue forward).

As Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions hurried forward down the broken rocky paths, all of them halted in their tracks when they heard the loud sounds of several propellers blades whirring noisily far above their heads and all of them raised their heads to look up at the night sky and widened their eyes in surprised/shocked when they saw a huge airship with the Shinra logo on it flying toward the crater (especially Cid).

"That's…!" said Cloud in a surprised tone of voice.

"No way!" said Angelina in a surprised tone of voice as well.

XXXX

While Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions were travelling on foot down and through the cold, winding and slightly treacherous rocky paths of Gaea's Cliff/Mountain, another group is taking a more direct and safer route toward the Gaea's Cliff/Mountain. A huge and powerful airship with its many propeller blades (which whirrs noisily) flew high above the ground and through the air toward the Northern Crater before it reduces its speed when it approaches the huge and protective wall of mako energy which protects the geyser within.

Inside and at the very front of the airship, Rufus Shinra walked slowly across the metallic deck floor before he stopped in his tracks at the front of the deck to look out of the thick and transparent glass wall which safeguarded the deck while both Director Scarlet and Heidegger stood behind him and watched the huge endless stream of mako energy gushing out of the huge crater hole with greedy/hungry looks in their eyes and on their faces.

"So, I've finally found you." said Rufus as he glance at the huge mako energy gushing out of the crater hole with a contented smile on his face.

"Kyaa Haa Haa Haa…" Scarlet laughed her screeching and hideous laugh before she turned around to glance at the airship's crews (who cringe heavily from her screeching and hideous laugh). "This is incredible…" said Scarlet with a smirk on her face after she's done laughing.

"Gyaa Haa Haa Haa." Heidegger laughed happily when his eyes glance down upon the huge endless stream of mako energy gushing out of the huge crater hole. "This is the Promised Land the President has been searching for!" exclaimed Heidegger in a happy tone of voice to Rufus after he's done laughing.

Rufus nodded his head at Heidegger's words before he turned away from the window to glance at both Scarlet and Heidegger. "But, I'll be the one to get it." said Rufus in a cold tone of voice to both Scarlet and Heidegger (who nodded to him) before he turned back to glance at the window. "Sorry, old man." Rufus added coldly and deviously to his late father under his breath.

While Rufus, Scarlet and Heidegger were laughing and talking about the huge mako energy looming before them, Hojo, the Shinra scientist is currently chuckling ominously under his breath while he stands at the very back of the deck with his back to everyone standing on deck (while the 2 Turks Rude and Fiona stood nearby the scientist to watched him), not caring or bothering to turn around and look at the huge mako energy which Rufus, Scarlet and Heidegger is looking at through the airship's window.

"That land and its mako energy belongs to no one." said Hojo quietly to himself under his breath. "It's the place where the "Reunion" will take place… Where they will gathered together… I wonder if we'll get to see… Sephiroth there?" finished Hojo before he began to laughed quietly to himself.


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53: Battle against Jenova-DEATH and getting the Black Materia back**

After Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions saw the huge Shinra airship approaching the crater above them in the night sky, they lowered their heads to glance in worry and alarm at each other before they turned and began to run down the path toward the crater's outer mako wall. When they arrived at the mako wall, they saw 2 more black cloaked men slowly approaching the outer wall which had a mako wind barrier which flowed quite strongly across the rocky path in regular waves.

The 2 black cloaked men didn't seem to pay any notice to the strong regular waves of mako wind barrier in front of them and the moment when they step into it, they were thrown harshly back and away from the strong mako wind barrier across the path (which broke some of the bones in their bodies) and rolled to a stop at the feet of Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions (who looked down at the 2 black cloaked men with sad/horror looks on their faces) before they gasped and groaned out their last breaths and disappear.

After the 2 black cloaked men disappear from their sights, Tifa stepped forward away from Cloud, Angelina and the others toward the mako wind barrier to stared into the wind (which blows her long black hair around her face until it slowly calm down) and she could see the path on the other side of the wind, leading toward the crater. "Everyone, we need to walk across the path when the wind is calm, or we'll get swept away!" Tifa warned them as she turned around to glance at them.

Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions glance at Tifa, nodded and followed her advice before they approach and stop in front of the mako wind barrier (which had picked up again and was blowing strongly and swiftly past all of them and across the rocky path) and waited patiently for the mako wind barrier to die down. When it did die down, Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions wasted no time in charging across the now dimmed down mako wind barrier and continue running down the path (and didn't turn their heads to look back and see the mako wind barrier picked it again). As they reached the end of the rocky path they were running on, halted in their tracks and jumped one by one over the gap to the next path, they were met with a most shocking sight in front of them.

Dozens of black cloaked men were marching steadily in a single file up the path, which zig-zag up into the distance toward the second mako wind barrier. Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions decided to ignored the black cloaked men while making their way past them up the same path toward the second wind barrier of the mako wall (and they heard the black cloaked men murmuring words like "Sephiroth", "Reunion" and "Jenova" as they walked carefully past them). Some of the black cloaked men fell face-down onto the path while others loses their sense of direction and walked off the edge of the path down to the Lifestream below. Not a single one of the remaining black cloaked men noticed their fellows dropping face-down on the path, falling off the edge of the path to their deaths or Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions who walked past them, so deep in their focus on making it across the path.

By the time Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions reached the second mako wind barrier (which is blowing more stronger and difficult for them to pass through than the first one), they saw that the huge number of black cloaked men has reduced greatly to less than 10 black cloaked men and Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions swiftly walk past the now few number of black cloaked men, waited for the second mako wind barrier to die down and they ran on up the path when it did and came to a sudden stop.

Standing a few feet on the path in front of them is Sephiroth himself. He stood with his back to them, holding his Masamune sword in his hands (which has blood on it) and facing 2 of the black cloaked men who managed to pass through the second mako wind barrier before the other black cloaked men, Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions did. Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions couldn't hear what Sephiroth is saying to the 2 black cloaked men over the loud roar of the mako wall around them so they took a few steps closer to the 3 of them and managed to hear what he said to them.

"This is the end… for all of you." said Sephiroth in a cold tone of voice to the 2 black cloaked men standing in front of him before he raised his Masamune sword and swung it at the 2 black cloaked men swiftly, causing them to fall backward down the path and into the glowing mako water below with a splashing sound. After they fell to their deaths, Sephiroth slowly lowered his Masamune sword (which had fresh blood dripping down the edge of his sword) down to his left side.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud growled loudly and angrily at Sephiroth while he, Angelina and their friends/companions took another few steps forward to Sephiroth and stop in their tracks behind him.

"This is the end, Sephiroth!" said Angelina angrily at Sephiroth.

"The 2 of you are right, Cloud, Angelina." said Sephiroth without turning around to glance at them both and their friends/companions standing behind them. "This is the end of this body's usefulness."

"What?" said Cloud with a confused look on his face.

Without any warning, dark shadows appear below Sephiroth's feet and make its way up Sephiroth's entire body until it completely enveloped Sephiroth and he abruptly vanished before their eyes, leaving behind a few pale purple-coloured flames on the path. His disappearance was so sudden that it startled Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions since they were not prepared for it and both Cloud and Angelina run forward to the spot where Sephiroth had stood on seconds ago and found no traces of him anywhere (while ignoring the pale purple-coloured flames on the path).

"He disappeared!?" said Cloud in a disbelief tone of voice.

"Where are you, Sephiroth!?" demanded Angelina as she look around the place.

"Calm down, Angelina." said Laina as she approach her and place her left hand on Angelina's shoulder to calm her down, which slightly worked.

"He might still be nearby, Cloud, Angie…" said Tifa as she approach Cloud, Angelina and Laina.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and the rest of their friends/companions stay silent and still and glance around the place for any sign of Sephiroth. As they do so, they felt and see that the air around them began to slowly dim and darken down, as though the night sky had finally pierced its way through the huge wall of mako water and reached the ground. A few seconds later, both Cloud and Angelina heard a smooth and eerie kind of voice began speaking to them (which make them flinch and jumped a little while their friends/companions continue to look around the place for Sephiroth) from the shadowy depths. They initially thought that it's Sephiroth's voice speaking to them, but they soon realised that it wasn't.

" _Our sole purpose is to deliver the Black Materia to our master."_ said the smooth and eerie voice to both Cloud and Angelina.

"Our…?" said Cloud in a surprised tone of voice to the smooth and eerie voice in his head.

"What's wrong, Cloud?" said Tifa as she glance at him.

" _Those who carry Jenova's cells…"_ said a second smooth and eerie voice, completely different to the first one. But it's still not Sephiroth.

"Master…!?" said Angelina in a surprised tone of voice to the smooth and eerie voices in her head.

" _Of course… Sephiroth. Heh, heh, heh…"_ said a third smooth and eerie voice mockingly inside both Cloud and Angelina's heads before it ceased its talking and fell silent.

Soon after the trio of smooth and eerie voices ceased their talking to Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions, Sephiroth suddenly reappeared and hovered a few feet above them while still holding his Masamune sword in his left hand (which is now completely devoid of any blood and glint/glowed in the pure green light of the mako wall), completely unseen by them before he gripped his Masamune sword tightly in his hands and swept swiftly down toward them.

As Sephiroth swept swiftly down toward them with his Masamune in his hands, Laina felt his presence from above her and raised her head to look up, saw him coming down swiftly toward them with his sword in his hands and she quickly uses her "Telekinesis" limit break to pushed and knocked Cloud, Angelina and the others down onto the path (which causes them to yell out in surprise and shock) while she pull her Geneva saber out from her back and raised it above her to blocked against Sephiroth's lethal downward strike.

"Not bad, Laina Donovan." said Sephiroth as he smirk evilly at her.

Laina glared darkly at him in silence before she swung Sephiroth and his Masamune sword away from her, Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions (who's standing up on their feet now) and they turned around and watched as Sephiroth landed on the path in front of them with both of his arms spread wide and his back to them again. Sephiroth then lowered his arms down to his sides, turned around to stared at each of them with an evil smile on his face before he suddenly swung his sword at both Cloud and Angelina and narrowly (purposely) missed slashing their stomachs. Sephiroth's evil smile slightly deepen when he saw both Cloud and Angelina didn't flinch and step back from him swinging his sword at them and he lowered his sword down to his side while his right hand pull something out from his pocket (which turns out to be another mutilated piece of Jenova's body), threw it at them and vanished from their sights.

The mutilated piece of Jenova's body landed with a thud at Cloud's feet and Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions watched with disgust/anger on their faces as it flopped/jumped about on the path before Cloud pull his Buster sword out from his back in preparation to strike and kill it off before it could become another huge form of Jenova. But before he could do so, the mutilated piece of Jenova's body began to convulse and oozes out the same kind of blackish-purple fume and blood before it began to transform, expanded and forming into the familiar figure that was Jenova which they fought against and defeated/killed off twice inside the engine room in the Shinra ship and in the podium room in the City of the Ancients.

But this third form of Jenova (named Jenova-DEATH) is quite different from the 2 previous forms which they had fought before, its entire huge body is almost blackish-grey in colour which causes some of Cloud and Angelina's friends/companions to take several steps back from it in fear (Nina, Yuffie, Cait Sith and Carter) while others stand their ground with Cloud and Angelina. Both Cloud and Angelina glared darkly up at Jenova-DEATH for a few seconds before they charge toward Jenova-DEATH with their Buster sword and naginata gripped tightly in their hands, jumped up toward Jenova-DEATH while raising their weapons above them and they swung their weapons down on Jenova-DEATH and slashes its face and chest deeply which causes thick black-coloured blood to oozes out from its face and chest wounds before they landed back down on the path.

Jenova-DEATH let out a loud pained screech when it felt the 2 deep slash wounds and the thick black blood oozing out of its face and chest caused by both Cloud and Angelina before she lowered her long craned neck downward to stared down at both Cloud and Angelina with anger. She then raised her right arm to concentrate and gather a huge amount of magic energy on it before she lowered her right arm at Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions and casted a huge ball of green-colour magic attack (Ultima magic) down on them.

When Laina saw the huge ball of Ultima magic coming down toward them, she quickly raised her left hand above her head to create an invisible telekinetic shield to protect her, Cloud, Angelina and the others from the Ultima magic attack. The huge ball of Ultima magic collide against Laina's telekinetic shield and explode with a slightly loud bang sound which nearly break apart the shield Laina just created to protect herself and the others.

Jenova-DEATH glared darkly at Laina before she raised her right arm and casted a strong binding magic down on Laina (after she disable her protective shield around her and the others) to forced her to fell down on her knees and prevented her from interfering or helping her friends/companions out for a while.

"Ngh!" said Laina when she felt Jenova-DEATH casted a strong binding magic on her before she fell down on her knees.

"What's wrong, Laina!?" said Kunsel in a worry tone of voice when he saw her fell down on her knees.

"She's preventing me… from helping you… guys out!" Laina told Kunsel while trying to break herself free from Jenova-DEATH binding magic. Kunsel approach her and casted Esuna magic on her to nullified the binding magic on her to no avail.

"Damn you, release her at once!" Kunsel snarled at Jenova-DEATH when he saw that the Esuna magic he just casted on Laina had no effect before he turned to glared at Jenova-DEATH, pull his sword from his back and charge toward Jenova-DEATH. He jumped up in front of Jenova-DEATH with his sword raised above his head in preparation to swung it down on Jenova-DEATH but before he could do so, Jenova-DEATH saw him coming and swiftly swung her right arm at him which struck against his stomach heavily and send him flying backward away from her and he crashed heavily down onto the path behind Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others.

"Gah!" said Kunsel as he winced from the duo bruised pains on his stomach and his back before he felt the binding magic being casted on him by Jenova-DEATH to prevent him from helping out as well.

"Kunsel!" yelled Laina in a worry tone of voice when she saw Jenova-DEATH swatted Kunsel away (before binding him) from her and the others and increase her effort to break herself free from the binding magic.

When Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions saw that Jenova-DEATH had binded Laina down and swatted Kunsel away then binded him down as well, they turned their glances away from both Laina and Kunsel to glared at Jenova-DEATH (except Vincent) before they charge toward Jenova-DEATH together and began attacking her with equal and fierce ferocity. Cloud, Angelina and Carter slashes at Jenova-DEATH's body repeatedly with their swords and naginata, Barret and Vincent raised their gun-arm and gun to fired bullets after bullets at her (and being careful in not shooting Cloud, Angelina and Carter), Cid, Selwyn and Red XIII jumped and landed behind Jenova-DEATH's back and both Cid and Selwyn raised their long and sharp spears to stabbed down on her back deeply, Red XIII clamped his jaws tightly on the right side of her thick neck and managed to tear off a huge chunk of her flesh (while resisting the urge to retched out the foul black blood filling his mouth and dripping down his jaw) while Tifa, Nina, Yuffie and Cait Sith casted multiple Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga and Poisona magic on Jenova-DEATH.

Jenova-DEATH let out another loud, painful and angry screech at Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions for attacking and injuring her body heavily with their weapons and magic materia before she decided to concentrate and gathered all the vast amount of magic energy which lies inside her and let loose a strong and powerful reddish-orange wind magic attack (named Tropic Wind) at them all. The reddish-orange wind magic attack struck Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions head on and all of them cried out in pain while they raises their arms and weapons to try to shield themselves from the burning hot wind which gave their bodies third degrees burns.

"It's too hot!" yelled Tifa.

"I don't think I can take it anymore!" yelled Selwyn.

"Try to hold on, Tifa, Selwyn, everyone!" yelled Cloud.

"Cloud's right, just try to hold on, everyone!" yelled Angelina.

" _Everyone!_ " thought both Laina and Kunsel in horrors/fears when they saw Jenova-DEATH uses a strong and powerful reddish-orange wind magic attack on Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions to hurt and burn them and both Laina and Kunsel increase their efforts to break themselves free from the binding magic even more. Laina smiled in relieved when she managed to break herself free from the binding magic first before she stood up, pull her Geneva saber out from her back, placed her Geneva saber on her forehead for a few seconds before she raised it high above her head and began using "Apocalypse" limit break on Jenova-DEATH.

Soon a huge glowing orange-coloured magic sigil appear directly above Jenova-DEATH's head and several purplish-coloured lightning descended on Jenova-DEATH and proceeded to electrocute her severely. Jenova-DEATH let out yet another loud and painful screech when she felt her heavily injured body being severely electrocute by Laina's "Apocalypse" limit break (which stops her wind magic attack on Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions) before her loud and painful screech abruptly stops and Jenova-DEATH closed her dark eyes and passed away for the third time before her now lifeless body fell backward onto the path and began hissing and dissolved into the Lifestream, leaving behind the Black Materia and a Reflect Ring item.

Laina let out a relieved sigh when she saw that Jenova-DEATH is dead and gone, disable her "Apocalypse" limit break, put her Geneva saber back behind her, turned her head over her left shoulder to glance at Kunsel (who stood up since he's no longer being binded down by Jenova-DEATH binding magic) and gave him a small smile before she clasped both of her hands in front of her to uses "Pulse of Life" limit break to healed Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions burned bodies immediately.

After Laina's done healing them all (and they gave her grateful nods in return), they stood up and glance down at the Black Materia lying on the path in front of them, none of them daring to step forward and picked it up.

"Jenova's cells…" said Cloud in a soft tone of voice to himself as he took a few steps forward near the Black Materia (while Angelina, Tifa and their friends/companions watched him do so). "…Hmmm, so that's what this is all about."

"The Jenova Reunion…" said Angelina as she closed her eyes.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" asked Selwyn as he scowled at both Cloud and Angelina.

"Not Sephiroth!?" exclaimed Tifa in a shocked tone of voice suddenly to both Cloud and Angelina, cutting off Selwyn's question. "Are you 2 saying that it wasn't Sephiroth we've been chasing after and fought against all this time!?"

Both Cloud and Angelina turned to glance at Tifa and slowly shook their heads at her. "We'll explain later, Tifa." said Cloud to Tifa. "Right now, the only thing Angie and I are thinking about is defeating Sephiroth."

"But Sephiroth is…" said Tifa as she lowered her head to stared down at the path.

"He's here, Tifa." said Angelina as she turned away from Tifa and raised her right hand to pointed up at the rocky canyon in front of them. "The real Sephiroth is just beyond here."

"It's incredibly wicked, cruel and evil… But it's releasing a powerfully strong and malice will from deep within this Planet's crater wound." said Cloud.

As Tifa, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions ponder about both Cloud and Angelina's words in silence, Angelina watched as Cloud step forward and kneel down to picked up the Black Materia and also the Reflect Ring item. Cloud clasped his hand tightly on the Black Materia before he stood up, turned around and walked back to his friends/companions (and gave the Reflect Ring item to Angelina).

"…The Black Materia is back within our hands." said Cloud to Angelina, Tifa and the rest of their friends/companions before he and his friends/companions glance down at the materia he's holding with awe, trepidation and fear in their eyes and faces. "Now all we have to do is defeat Sephiroth and that'll be the end of it." Cloud told them all.

"Cloud, I think that it's better for us if we don't take the Black Materia any further." said Tifa as she glance at Cloud. "Why don't you give it to someone else to hold on to?"

"Tifa's got a point, Cloud." said Angelina with a nod of her head.

Cloud glance at both Angelina and Tifa and nodded his head in agreement with them before he turned his head to glance at the others and saw that most of them isn't too keen to take and hold the Black Materia for him. After Cloud glance at each of them for a few seconds, he made up his mind and make his way over to Red XIII and hold the Black Materia out to him.

"You want me to hold the Black Materia?" Red XIII asked nervously to Cloud, who nodded to him. "…all right, Cloud. I understand." said Red XIII as he gently took the Black Materia from Cloud's hand and keep it close to him.

"You choose the right person to watch and guard the Black Materia, Cloud." said Laina as she nodded her head in approval to Cloud.

Cloud nodded to Laina without looking. "Don't give it to ANYONE, Red XIII." Cloud warned Red XIII. "I'm counting on you."

"Of course I won't, Cloud." said Red XIII.

Cloud nodded to Red XIII before he turned and walked toward both Angelina and Tifa and stopped in his tracks near them.

"Let's find Sephiroth, Cloud!" said Angelina in a firm tone of voice as she turned to glance at him and before Cloud could say anything to her, he noticed that Laina had approach and join up with him, Angelina and Tifa, as determined as the 3 of them in facing and fighting against Sephiroth.

"The 4 of us will go on ahead first!" said Cloud as he glance over Laina's shoulder at Barret, Kunsel and the others. "The rest of you stay here and keep a close watch on anything."

Barret, Kunsel and the rest of their friends/companions nodded to Cloud before he glance away from them at Angelina, Tifa and Laina, nodded to the 3 of them before they turned and run up the path together, away from the others.


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54: False memory and truth**

As Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina run swiftly up the zig-zag rocky path away from the rest of their friends/companions to make it toward the crater and Sephiroth before the Shinra could, they saw and reached the third and final mako wind barrier, and which is also the most strongest and difficult one. They also saw that other than the familiar strong gushes of the mako winds, there were also bolts of fierce lightning that struck the ground at regular intervals in front of them which make the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina attempted to try to make their way pass the strong and difficult mako wind/lightning barrier and got themselves blown harshly backward and slightly electrocute by the mako wind/lightning barrier and landed slightly heavily on their backs on the path for several times (which make Laina uses Curaga materia on all 4 of them several times) until they managed to pass through the mako wind/lightning barrier to the other side of it before they swiftly carried on up the path.

After Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina pass through the mako wind/lightning barrier and walked swiftly and steadily up the path, Tifa lifted her head to watched both Cloud and Angelina from behind with a frown look on her face before she turned her head away from their backs to glance at Laina, who's walking next to her and decided to approach her to tell her about her uneasy thoughts of her 2 childhood friends.

"Laina. There's something I need to talk to you about." said Tifa in a small voice to Laina.

"About both Cloud and Angelina, your 2 childhood friends, is it, Tifa?" said Laina in a small voice back to Tifa before she turned her head to glance at her.

"Yeah, exactly." said Tifa with a small nod of her head. "It seems like the closer we get to the crater, the more agitated and focused both Cloud and Angie were in finding Sephiroth, as though they were incapable of thinking about anyone or anything else, except him."

"..." said Laina, in silence.

"Look, Laina, I know that I wanted to tell them both the truth before and you stop me from doing so but why don't we just…" Tifa began saying to Laina and before she could say another word out to her, the air and atmosphere around the 4 of them began to shivered and warped, causing them to stopped in their tracks before a sudden bright white light appear and engulfed them in its whiteness from out of nowhere, forcing them to cover their eyes with their hands. When Tifa lowered her hands and opened her eyes, she saw that Cloud, Angelina and Laina had vanished from her sight, along with all signs of the crater, the path, the Lifestream and the night sky around her.

"What is this, Cloud, Angie, Laina?" demanded Tifa in a fearful tone of voice as she frantically look around the bright whiteness for Cloud, Angelina and Laina. "What just happened and where are you guys?"

"We're still here, Tifa. Just that we can't see each other." said Laina's calm voice from somewhere to her left.

"Calm down, Tifa." said Angelina's voice from somewhere in front of her.

"Sephiroth is nearby. Anything could happened." said Cloud's voice from somewhere in front of her as well.

Tifa heard their voices talking back to her and take a cautious step forward while stretching both of her hands out, trying to find and felt them out within the whiteness around her. Just as Tifa's about to open her mouth to called out for Cloud, Angelina and Laina for the second time when she couldn't find or felt them out with her hands, the bright white light around her began to dimmed down and vanished from her sight and Tifa could see Cloud, Angelina and Laina standing with her once again. But when they lifted their heads and take a look at their surroundings around them, they saw that they are now standing on the dirt path in front of the familiar entrance of Nibelheim instead of the rocky path toward the crater where Sephiroth is. They also saw the inn, their houses and their neighbours/friends houses, the huge well standing on the wooden tower in the middle of the town and the old Shinra mansion which is up the stairs on the far left side of the town through the entrance of Nibelheim.

"Nibelheim…" whisper Tifa as she look around the place with a sorrow look on her face and tears glistening in her eyes, unable to believe at what she's currently seeing.

"I don't get it." said Angelina with a disbelief look on her face as she look around the place (while both Cloud (who had a solemn and almost angry look on his face) and Laina (who had a very bad feeling in her heart) look around the place with both Angelina and Tifa) as well. "Why are we back in Nibelheim?"

"This is probably just an illusion that Sephiroth made up." said Cloud in a calm and somber tone of voice while he slowly shook his head. "He's trying to confuse us all, Angie, Tifa, Laina." Cloud told them. "It'll be all right, Angie, Tifa, Laina. As long as we know that it's just an illusion, there's nothing for us to be afraid of."

"I hope you're right, Cloud." said Angelina as she turned her head to glance at him.

Cloud glance at her and nodded his head to her. "Come on, let's keep going." Cloud told them.

"Yeah, you're right…" said Tifa quietly to Cloud.

Just as Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina were about to walked away and leave the illusion of Nibelheim behind, Laina suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind her, Cloud, Angelina and Tifa. She turned around to see who is it and a sorrow/anguish look appear immediately on her face while tears glisten and fell from her eyes and down her face.

"Dear Gaia, no… _"_ said Laina sadly to herself. "Anything but this… please! _"_

Cloud, Angelina and Tifa heard what Laina just said (and they heard the sound of footsteps as well), turned around to see what she just see and all 3 of them soon saw Sephiroth as he walked slowly and lead the way up the dirt path toward the entrance of Nibelheim, with a younger version of Laina (who's wearing her black SOLDIER 1st class outfit with a long red coat over it) and an unfamiliar, taller and different man with shoulder-length black spiky hair, blue mako eyes and a scar on his left cheek (who's wearing the SOLDIER 1st class outfit and had Cloud's Buster sword strapped to his back) walking close next to the younger version of Laina and behind Sephiroth while 4 Shinra infantrymen followed close behind them (both Cloud and Angelina noticed that 2 of the infantrymen were acting embarrassed, nervous and withdrawn of themselves when they got closer to Nibelheim).

" _What's going on? Why is Laina so upset at seeing that black spiky hair guy and why does he look so familiar?"_ thought Angelina to herself as she stared back and forth in confusion at the current Laina (who's weeping silently) with them and at the younger version of Laina standing with the unfamiliar SOLDIER man before realization came to her. " _Don't tell me that this is the same SOLDIER guy named Zack that Laina fell in love with and married to?"_

"So? How does it feel to you two?" Sephiroth asked suddenly while he turned his head to glance over his right shoulder at the two infantrymen standing behind both Laina and the unfamiliar man (which cut off Angelina's thinking). "To finally be home after this long time? Since I have no hometown, I wouldn't know what it feels like."

"Uh? What about your family?" the unfamiliar guy asked Sephiroth as he took a step forward. Sephiroth heard his question and he turned around to glance at him.

" _That voice! That's the same voice which talked to both Cloud and I in our heads several times during our journey!"_ thought Angelina to herself while feeling even more confused.

"My mother's name is Jenova." Sephiroth began saying to the unfamiliar man. "She died shortly after she gave birth to me. As for my father…" Sephiroth stop mid-sentence and as they waited for him to continue his tale, he suddenly threw back his head and started laughing, which surprises them. "Why am I talking about this to you all?" Sephiroth said to them as he raised and placed his left hand on his forehead before he turned away from them. "Come on, let's keep on going." Sephiroth told them before he starts walking again, with the unfamiliar man, the younger version of Laina and the 4 infantrymen following behind him through the entrance into Nibelheim.

"What was that all about?" said Angelina right after they saw Sephiroth, the unfamiliar man, the younger version of Laina and the 4 infantrymen went into Nibelheim and vanished from their sights. "Why is that Zack guy with both Sephiroth and you instead of me and Cloud, Laina?"

"Don't say another word, Angie, please!" said Tifa in a slightly loud voice to Angelina (which silence her) as she approach Laina (who still had the sorrow/anguish look on her face while wiping away her tears with her right hand and didn't answer Angelina's question) and placed her gloved hand on Laina's shoulder to console her before she turned her head to glance at Cloud and saw that his face was blank while his eyes burned almost angrily/feverishly. "Stop it… Sephiroth." Tifa pleaded in a soft voice as she bit her lip and closed her eyes.

"This is so stupid…" said Cloud angrily while he shrugged his shoulders.

"I agreed with you, Cloud. This whole illusion thing is pointless." said Angelina with a nod of her head.

"Yeah, Cloud, Angie… The 2 of you are right about this." said Tifa in a soft and concern tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina. "It's just a pointless illusion. Don't worry about it."

"Of course we're not worry about it , Tifa." said Angelina. "Why would you say that?"

Right after Angelina ceased talking to Tifa, the same bright white light came back and engulfed them in its whiteness for the second time and completely erasing the vision of Nibelheim from their sights.

"What's… next?" asked Cloud in a hesitant tone of voice.

"Just stop it already!" yelled Tifa.

A few seconds later, the bright white light began to fade away and both Cloud and Angelina were not surprised to see that all 4 of them were standing in Nibelheim once again, except that this time the entire village of Nibelheim was on fire. Each and every building in the village was ablaze, with hot yellow flames burning out of every windows and doors of the houses (except for the old Shinra mansion) while some bodies of the villagers lies burned and dead on the ground while few others who managed to survive the flames try their best to put out the fierce flames on the houses and helped other survivors while others cried/wailed for their dead families/friends.

"Dear Gaia, this destruction is worse than I initially thought after I heard both your stories back in Kalm village with the others." said Kunsel's grim voice from behind Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina and they all turned around to glance at him.

"Kunsel!" said Laina in a surprised tone of voice to Kunsel. "Why did you follow us here?"

"I've got a really bad feeling so I decided to follow after you guys." said Kunsel as he approach her and placed his arm around her shoulders to console her when he noticed the sorrow/anguish look on her face before he glance at both Cloud and Angelina. "Is this what actually happened to Nibelheim?" Kunsel asked them.

"…Yes, that's right." replied Angelina sadly.

"…This is what actually happened to Nibelheim 5 years ago." said Cloud as he look at the burning village around him and his 4 friends/companions. "But… It's probably not gonna be Angie and me that's going to run out of the inn. He's going to try and show us another stupid and pointless illusion."

Right after Cloud say those words, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Kunsel eyes turned to the inn and they saw the inn's door burst open outward to reveal the same spiky black hair man running out of the inn and glance around the burned village and its villagers (both alive and dead) with a horrified look on his face before he noticed the 2 infantrymen lying face-down on the ground to his left, approach and kneel down near one of them to helped him up (while Kunsel was a little shocked to see Zack again).

"See, didn't I tell you guys?" said Cloud to the others as he glance at Zack before he let out a dismay sigh.

"You're right, Cloud." said Angelina as she glance at Zack as well.

"I don't want to… watch this." said Tifa in a sorrow/anguish tone of voice before she walked away from both Laina and Kunsel toward both Cloud and Angelina and grabbed hold of their arms and slowly shook her head. "Cloud, Angie… don't watch this."

Cloud, Angelina (who didn't listen to what Tifa just said), Tifa, Laina and Kunsel then look away from the black spiky hair guy back to the inn and watched as the younger version of Laina came running out of the inn's entrance a few seconds later, look around the burned village with the same horrified look on her face before she noticed the black spiky hair guy kneeling on the ground near the 2 infantrymen and swiftly make her way toward the 3 of them.

Both Cloud and Angelina turned their heads to look away from the illusion around them and glance at Tifa, who's closed her eyes and lowered her head to the ground.

"…What's wrong, Tifa?" said Cloud to Tifa. "I told you before, right? As long as we know that this is just a stupid and pointless illusion, then there's no need for either you or Laina to be this upset and scared of it."

"Cloud's right, Tifa." said Angelina in a reassuring tone of voice to Tifa. "So don't be so upset and scared of it."

" _If only that were the case, Cloud, Angelina."_ thought both Tifa and Laina sadly to themselves.

The bright white light came back and engulfed them for the third time and when it fade away, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Kunsel found themselves standing near the burned up Item shop in the middle of the burned village. Both the spiky black hair man and the younger version of Laina had completely vanished from their sights, leaving only the 2 infantrymen and the dead body of a black hair teenage boy wearing a white-coloured T-shirt and green-coloured shorts behind. Cloud had enough of the illusion Sephiroth is showing to them all and he take a few steps forward and called out to him.

"Sephiroth! I know you're listening! I know what you want to say to us!" said Cloud in a loud and piercing tone of voice to Sephiroth before he slowly shook his head. "That both Angie and I wasn't in Nibelheim with both you and Laina 5 years ago. That's it, isn't it?"

Soon after Cloud say those words out, Sephiroth suddenly appeared in front of them with an evil smirk on his face and firelight glinting in his glowing bluish-green mako eyes. "I see that you finally understand." said Sephiroth.

Angelina walked toward Sephiroth and stopped in her tracks next to Cloud, glaring angrily at Sephiroth.

"What you're trying to do and say is that you wanted to confuse both me and Cloud, right?" Angelina demanded harshly at Sephiroth. "But… even if you force us to see all of this illusion things, it won't affect us both. The both of us remember it all. The intense heat of the flames… the pain in our bodies… and in our hearts!"

Sephiroth slowly shook his head at Angelina's words before he glance at both her and Cloud. "Oh, is that so, Angelina?" said Sephiroth in a deliberate calm tone of voice. "The 2 of you are just puppets… without any minds and hearts of your own… and unable to feel any pains… How can there be any meaning in the memories of 2 such puppet beings? What I have just shown to the 2 of you is the truth and reality. What the 2 of you remember in both your minds, that is the illusions."

Both Cloud and Angelina clenched their fists tightly and angrily together, infuriated by Sephiroth's calm and sardonic words to them. Both of them were tempted to draw their Buster sword and naginata out to fight him right there and then but something in the back of their minds and hearts stops them from doing so and both Cloud and Angelina slowly unclenched their tight and angry fists and shrugged their shoulders.

"Cloud… Angelina…" both Tifa and Laina's voices called out to them.

"… Do you 2 understand now?" said Sephiroth, cutting off both Tifa and Laina's words.

"No, Sephiroth. We don't want to understand." said Cloud before he turned around to look away from Sephiroth and felt his head began to pound painfully, which make him winced a little (same goes for Angelina). "But, I want to ask you one thing. Why… Why are you doing this to us?"

Sephiroth's body disappear one second only to reappear the next second, standing between Tifa, Laina and Kunsel. Tifa, Laina and Kunsel were surprised by his sudden appearance near them and they quickly ran away from him toward both Cloud and Angelina and stand next to them. The evil smirk on Sephiroth's face widened and he began chuckling evilly.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha… I want to take the 2 of you back to your true selves." said Sephiroth to both Cloud and Angelina after he's done chuckling. "Back to the one who gave me the Black Materia while the other one stand back and let it happen that day… Who would have ever thought that failed experiments like you 2 would prove to be this useful? Hojo would die if he knew."

Both Laina and Kunsel faces instantly turned dark with anger when they both heard Sephiroth said Hojo's name and as they were about to move toward Sephiroth to stop him from saying anymore, Sephiroth raised his left hand at them both to casted another strong binding magic on them which forces them to fall to their knees and clamped their mouths shut. Both Laina and Kunsel struggle to break themselves free from Sephiroth's binding magic to no avail (while both Cloud and Angelina watched in silence and Tifa let out a gasp).

"Hojo, you said!?" said Angelina in a surprised/angry tone of voice to Sephiroth. "Why does he have to do with us!?"

Sephiroth raised his eyebrow in amusement at Angelina's surprise/angry question to him. "Why, you asked. I'll tell you why then, Angelina. 5 years ago, both you and Cloud were… constructed and experimented by Hojo, piece by piece, inside the laboratory under the Shinra mansion right after I destroyed and burned Nibelheim to the ground. 2 puppets made up of vibrant Jenova cells, her wisdom and knowledge, and also the power of the mako energy. 2 incomplete Sephiroth copies. Not even given numbers… That is the realities of the 2 of you."

"Cloud, Angie… Don't listen to what he says…" said Tifa urgently (while she shake her head vigorously at Sephiroth) to both Cloud and Angelina, who turned their heads to glance at her. "Both of you, close your eyes! Cover your ears!"

"Why, Tifa?" said Angelina with a confused look on her face.

"What's wrong, Tifa?" said Cloud to Tifa. "We're not affected by his false, lying words… Besides, Angie and I weren't paying any attention to him."

" _You're lying, Cloud."_ thought Tifa to herself. " _Both you and Angie were listening to his words, even if the 2 of you aren't aware of it."_ Tifa ceased her train of thoughts, raised and placed her hands on their faces and forced them both to glance away from Sephiroth at her.

"Listen to me, Cloud, Angie. All that talk about Hojo constructing and experimenting on you both is nothing but lies." said Tifa in a serious tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina. "Don't the 3 of us have our memories together? Of being kids and watching the starlit night sky near the well together…"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha… Tifa…" laughed Sephiroth as he turned to glance at her. "Why are you so worried and frighten by those words?" Sephiroth said to Tifa and she turned her head away from both Cloud and Angelina to glared angrily at him. "Hmmm… Why don't I show them both the truth in your heart, Tifa? And in yours as well, Laina."

After Sephiroth say those words out, both Cloud and Angelina glance back and forth at Tifa (who swiftly turned away from them both) and Laina (who lowered her head and unable to bring herself to glance up at them both). Sephiroth's evil smirk widened even more when he saw both of their reactions before he turned to look away from them and began laughing quietly to himself. "Ha, ha, ha, ha… The 2 of you look like you're not feeling well at all." Sephiroth said smugly to both Tifa and Laina before he vanished from their sights (at the same time both Laina and Kunsel were released from the binding magic being casted on them before they stood up from the ground).

"…Tifa? Is what Sephiroth just said is the truth?" Cloud asked Tifa while Angelina continue staring at Laina (who's still not lifting her head to glance at her).

"Cloud… Angie…" said both Tifa and Laina in a small and fearful tone of voices.

"Why are you 2 so scared about, Tifa, Laina?" said Cloud as he glance back and forth at the 2 of them. "You 2 don't have to worry about me and Angie. We're both all right. No matter how confused we both are, we'll never believe a single word that Sephiroth said to us. Isn't that right, Angie?" Cloud asked Angelina.

"Yeah, Cloud. I agreed with you." replied Angelina with a nod of her head. "But it's true that we can't seem to figure out who we are, since there're a lot of muddled up gaps/spaces in our memories."

"But, Tifa… But you say to us both, "Long time no see, Cloud, Angie" right?" Cloud said to Tifa. "Those words of yours will always supports both me and Angie. For we are the ones who grew up together with you, Tifa. We're Cloud Strife and Angelina Pierce of Nibelheim. No matter how much Angie and I lose faith in ourselves, that is the truth."

"Cloud's right, Tifa." said Angelina. "That's why you shouldn't be so scared. No matter what Sephiroth or anyone else says to us, it's your attitude that counts…"

"No, that's not true, Cloud, Angie…" said Tifa as she turned around to glance at them both.

"What's not true, Tifa?" said Cloud, feeling a little annoyed at her. "Aren't we the same Cloud and Angelina you grew up with?"

"That's not what I mean…" said Tifa as tears appear and fell from her eyes and she raised her right gloved hand to wipe them away. "I don't know how to say it… I just need more time, Cloud, Angie… Just give me a little time…"

Right after Tifa say those words out to both Cloud and Angelina, a short flash of bright light shone out around them and Sephiroth reappeared, standing on the other side of the wall of flames in front of Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Kunsel (who turned to glance at him) with his back to the Shinra mansion behind him and with an almost sympathetic look on his face to them.

"Cloud, Angelina…" said Sephiroth slightly loudly to them both over the wall of flames. "Don't blame Tifa. The ability to altered one's looks, voices and words is the power of Jenova. Inside of you and Angelina, Jenova has merged itself with Tifa' memories, creating the 2 of you. Out of Tifa's memory… a boy and girl named Cloud and Angelina might've just been a part of them."

Before any of them could say anything, Sephiroth disappear from their sights again and both Cloud and Angelina stared into the wall of flames in front of them, thinking deeply about their memories and about Sephiroth's words and they both felt the throbbing in their heads worsened, which make them both winced and groaned in pain.

"Cloud, Angelina…" said Laina in a soft and sad tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina and they glance at her. "Please… don't think too deeply about it, you two."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha… Think, Cloud, Angelina!" said Sephiroth as he reappear from behind them and they all turned around to glance at him as he began laughing evilly/manically. Just as he began laughing evilly/manically, he stops abruptly as a sudden thought came into his mind. "Ha, ha, ha, ha… Oh, excuse me." said Sephiroth as he glance at both Cloud and Angelina. "The 2 of you never had names of your own…"

"Shut up, Sephiroth." said both Cloud and Angelina quietly to Sephiroth.

"Please don't say anymore, Sephiroth." pleaded Laina in a desperate tone of voice to Sephiroth. "Stop tormenting them both with your words!"

Sephiroth ignored Laina's desperate/pleading words while he continue glancing at both Cloud and Angelina and slowly shook his head at them. "The 2 of you still don't understand? Well then…" said Sephiroth before he turned away from them, laughed evilly and quietly to himself for a few seconds before he turned back to them. "Do you 2 remember the picture that we took together before we went up Nibel mountains? I'm pretty sure that both Laina and Tifa do remember about it." Sephiroth ceased his talking to glance away from both Cloud and Angelina and glance at both Laina and Tifa, who turned their heads away from his glance before he glance back at both Cloud and Angelina (who shrugged their shoulders at him). "But there's no way that either of you will know. Now, what happened to the picture?"

Sephiroth glance around the burned village around them for a few seconds before his greenish-blue mako eyes landed on the boy lying on the ground near the burned entrance of the Item shop to his left, turned and make his way leisurely toward the boy and kneel down near him. "… Is this it?" said Sephiroth as he saw the photo which the boy is holding in his hands before he pried the boy's hands open to take the photo, stood up and turned around to glance at them. "Do you 2 want to see it? It turned out pretty good." Sephiroth asked both Cloud and Angelina.

"No, don't look at the photo! Cloud, Angelina!" said Laina in a slightly loud and pleading tone of voice to them.

"Cloud… Angie… please don't…" warned Tifa.

"We… should be in the photo." said Cloud as both he and Angelina glance back and forth between Sephiroth, Laina and Tifa while they swallow their dry mouths and throats nervously. "Even if we're not in it, no worries. This is all just an illusionary world Sephiroth created."

Slowly and hesitantly, both Cloud and Angelina make their way toward Sephiroth, stopped in their tracks in front of him and Sephiroth hold out the photo to them. Cloud then took the photo from his hand and both he and Angelina looked down at it. The first person they saw was Sephiroth (who had an expressionless look on his face) as he stood on the right side of the picture and staring silently at the camera, standing beside him was Tifa (who's wearing a white tank top with a brown vest over it, a cowboy hat on her head whose colour match the vest she's wearing along with a brown miniskirt, a dark brown belt around her waist and a pair of knee-length brown boots on her legs) as she smile at the camera while she held onto her hat firmly with her right hand. And standing next to both Tifa and Sephiroth was the spiky black hair man named Zack (who had his left arm around Laina's waist and pull her close to him) and Laina (who blushed a little when Zack's arm pull her close to him). Both Cloud and Angelina saw that they were not in the picture with Tifa, Laina and Sephiroth and Cloud slowly lowered his hands down to his sides, letting the photo fell from his limp fingers and fluttered onto the ground. Sephiroth had vanished again right after he handed the photo over to them.

"… Just as I thought." said Cloud in a small voice to himself while Angelina stay silent. "This photo's a fake. The truth is in mine and Angie's memory. 5 years ago, the 2 of us came back to Nibelheim with Laina and Sephiroth to inspect the mako reactor. I was 16 while Angie was 15 back then. The village haven't changed at all. What did we do after we split away from Laina and Sephiroth…? Oh yeah… We went off to see our parents and our friends/neighbours in the village."

Yeah, that's right, Cloud, we did." said Angelina as she nodded her head in agreement to Cloud. "After we met and spend some time talking with our parents and our friends/neighbours, we went into the inn and spend the night there before we woke up the next day and went up the Nibel mountains to the mako reactor. You and I were quite excited about it, Cloud. Because that is our first mission after we become SOLDIER 1st class together."

Two sharp pains shot through their minds and both Cloud and Angelina winced and shook their heads from it.

"… Wait a minute. For some reason, that's not right." said Angelina with a frown look on her face.

"…SOLDIER 1st class?" said Cloud as he shook his head for the second time. "…SOLDIER? When did we enter SOLDIER?"

"I…don't know, Cloud." said Angelina.

As both Cloud and Angelina tried to recall/remember the memories in their heads, the sharp pains in their heads increased and worsened and they both gasped then groaned from the sharp pains in their heads before they raised their hands to clutched their heads tightly and fell to their knees on the ground while their bodies began to shake uncontrollably.

"How did we join SOLDIER?" Cloud cried out.

"Why… Why can't we remember?" Angelina cried out as well. "We… We…"

Suddenly both Cloud and Angelina stopped shaking uncontrollably, lowered their hands away from their heads before they slowly/shakily stood up from the ground. They didn't turned to look at Tifa, Laina and Kunsel, who were standing behind them and watching them both in silence.

"That's right…" said Angelina in a blank tone of voice.

"…We didn't have to worry about it, because we are…" said Cloud in a blank tone of voice as well.

"…Cloud, Angie?" said Tifa in a worry tone of voice.

"…Are you 2 all right now?" asked Laina.

"…Yeah, we are, Laina." replied Angelina.

"…" said Kunsel, in silence.

"Come on, Tifa, Laina, Kunsel. Let's go." Cloud told them firmly.


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55: Awakening of Weapons and summoning of Meteor**

While Sephiroth is busy in tormenting/torturing Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Kunsel with the illusion of Nibelheim which he created himself, Rufus Shinra stepped off the Shinra helicopter (after it landed safely on the rocky ground near the huge mako geyser inside the North Crater) and began to walked steadily toward the cavern entrance in front of him, with Director Scarlet and Professor Hojo following silently right behind him after they stepped off the Shinra helicopter as well. As Rufus walked through the cavern entrance and into the huge cavern within, he was suddenly enveloped in a bright blue light which shone down on him from above and he stopped in his tracks and lifted his head to glance up at the bright blue light above.

As Rufus lifted his head to glance up at the bright blue light above, Director Scarlet walked into the cavern boldly and with a little poise, as if she owned the entire cavern just by being inside it while her sleeveless long red-coloured silk dress reflected the lights coming off the crystalline blue mako wall around her and Rufus.

"Wow! That's amazing!" said Scarlet to herself as she began laughing her annoying laughter (which resonated off the mako wall around her and Rufus) before she raised her right hand to touch her fingers against her red lips happily. Scarlet then ceased her annoying laughter, lowered her right hand and began to walked forward pass Rufus to inspect the glowing mako blue wall in front of her and Rufus.

As Scarlet inspect the glowing mako blue wall in front of her and Rufus, Professor Hojo walked slowly and silently into the cavern with his hands behind his back. He stopped in his tracks a few feet behind Rufus and take a look around the blue mako cavern with only vague interest on his face and in his eyes, noting every detail of the mako cavern down in his mind for future examination while his mind is thinking deeply about things which were far more important to him than the Shinra company hopeless and pointless search/pursuit of the legendary Promised Land.

A few seconds after Hojo came into the cavern and take a thorough look around the place, Scarlet is done with inspecting the blue mako wall in front of her and she turned around to glance at Rufus with a satisfied look on her face before she raised her face to glance up and let out a gasp. Up in the high reaches of the cavern, a giant cocoon of thick, brown-coloured branches wound their way everywhere across the ceiling of the cavern, built to look like a giant web or a giant nest (and also where the source of cavern's bright blue light came from above and shone through the giant cocoon of thick, brown-coloured branches down onto them and the cavern).

"It's all Materia!" said Scarlet in an awed tone of voice.

"The outside is rich with Mako energy." said Rufus as he lowered his head to glance at Scarlet. "The inside is a huge treasure trove of Materia. This place is truly the Promised Land."

"There is no such thing as the Promised Land." said Hojo scornfully to both Rufus and Scarlet (who turned around to glance at him with disbelief on their faces) while he look around the mako cavern with a distaste look on his face. "It's just an urban legend… an old wives's tale… it's completely ridiculous."

Rufus decided to ignored Professor Hojo's rude remarks and lifted his head to glance back up at the mako filled cavern around and above him with a smug smile on his face. "Everything is as I imagined it to be. Isn't it splendid?" Rufus said to Hojo, which make Hojo glance at him out of the corner of his eyes before he began to laughed loudly. Rufus lowered and turned his head to glared darkly at the scientist reaction and answer to his words. "It is that kind of dull thinking that makes you a second-rate scientist instead of a first-rate one like Professor Gast." said Rufus sharply at Hojo, who didn't say anything to Rufus before he turned to look away from both the President and Director Scarlet, which annoyed them both even more.

As both Rufus and Scarlet continue to glared at Professor Hojo, all 3 of them suddenly felt the entire mako cavern around them began to shake violently. Rufus immediately spread both of his arms out to stabilize his shaky balance, Scarlet leaned her back against the mako wall to steady herself while she struggle to stay on her feet in her ridiculously red-coloured high heels. As for Hojo, he managed to stand steadily on the cavern ground without holding his arms out or leaning himself against the cavern wall near him. The 3 of them then heard the muffled roar of a monster coming from within the mako wall of the cavern amidst the violent shaking of the cavern.

"What's happening?" demanded Rufus. "And what did we just heard from inside the mako wall?"

A few seconds later, the violent shaking and the muffled roar of the monster in the cavern subside and fade away and Scarlet stepped away from the mako wall she's leaning against before she turned around to inspect the wall behind her for the second time, saw something huge moving inside and a large reptilian eye (which is greenish-white in colour, the same colour as the Lifestream gushing out of the North Crater) opening and peered through the mako wall at them before closing up and she take a few frighten steps backward from the wall. "There's something coming from within the wall, President Rufus!" Scarlet cried out in fear. "There's something moving and alive in there!"

"Weapon…" murmured Hojo in a soft and small tone of voice to himself after he saw the monster eye opening and closing for the second time inside the mako wall and both Rufus and Scarlet turned to glance at Hojo when they heard what he just said. "Then it really does exist… I didn't believe in it at first… but now I do believe." said Hojo to himself (while he, Rufus and Scarlet failed to notice the monster's eye opened and closed for the third time).

"What do you mean by that, Professor Hojo?" Rufus asked Hojo.

"…Weapons." said Hojo as he slowly turned to glance at Rufus. "Monsters created by the Planet itself. They awoke and appears when they senses the Planet is in mortal danger, reducing everyone and everything living on the Planet to nothingness. That's what was written/stated in one of Professor Gast's reports."

"I never saw his reports…" said Rufus as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes in suspicion at Professor Hojo. "Where is his reports?"

Hojo turned away from Rufus and began chuckling to himself before he ceased chuckling and raised his right hand to tapped the right side of his head. "Here. Right here, President Rufus."

"You keep a lot of things to yourself, Professor Hojo." said Rufus as he scowled darkly at Hojo.

XXXX

Meanwhile, Red XIII, Barret, Cid, Selwyn, Vincent, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter were still waiting for Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Kunsel to return to them as they stay on the winding rocky path outside of the North Crater, all of them were oblivious to the fact of Rufus, Scarlet and Hojo arriving and making their way into the cavern in the crater and the fact that their 5 friends/companions were currently trapped and tormented by Sephiroth's Nibelheim illusion. As Red XIII and the others continue to wait for them, they began to feel more worried and concerned for their 5 friends/companions.

"I wonder how Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Kunsel are doing now…" said Red XIII in a quiet and worried tone of voice to himself.

"Don't you worry so much, Red XIII." said Nina in a reassuring tone of voice to him. "I'm sure that they're alright."

Red XIII turned his head to glance at Nina and nodded his head at her before he glance at the Black Materia which is still clipped securely behind his ear, feeling very uneasy about having such a powerful and destructive materia entrusted to him to watch over by Cloud. But he promised Cloud that he would watch over it and never let anyone, especially Sephiroth, get their hands on it. "It's hard to believe… that such a small piece of materia is able to destroy the Planet…"

Right after Red XIII say those words, the air and atmosphere around him began to flashed and causes all of his friends/companions to vanished completely from his sight (which shocked him) before thick greenish-black fog seeped in and enveloped him from nowhere and completely blocked/covered the rocky path he's standing on, the crater and the bright greenish glow of the mako water below him.

"W-What the!? Is everyone all right?" Red XIII called out in a nervous/fear tone of voice to his friends/companions as he glance at the thick greenish-black smoke around him for any sight of them and didn't see them or heard their voices anywhere. Red XIII then ran forward, stopped in his tracks while he turned left and right to search and look around the thick greenish-black fog frantically for any of his friends/companions. "What's going on?" Red XIII yelled out in a nervous/fear tone of voice for the second time. "Where am I!? Where are you guys!? Don't leave me here by myself!"

As Red XIII ran around the thick greenish-black fog to search frantically for his friends/companions, he stopped in his tracks to catch his breath for a few minutes and didn't noticed that Tifa came running toward him from behind.

"Red XIII, you're here!" said Tifa in a slightly loud and relieved tone of voice when she saw Red XIII in front of her before she ceased running and catch her breath. "I'm so glad!"

"Tifa!" said Red XIII in a happy/relieved tone of voice as he turned around to glance at her before he run toward Tifa and stop in front of her(while he barely noticed that the greenish-black fog around him and Tifa evaporate and fade away, revealing the rocky path once again and also failed to notice the difference in Tifa's scent). "Something's very strange here…" said Red XIII to Tifa. "Why is everything greenish-black in colour all of a sudden and where did everybody go?"

"Everyone's waiting, Red XIII! Cloud and Angelina are in trouble!" said Tifa in a pleading tone of voice to Red XIII. "Please come. Help us!" said Tifa before she turned around, raised and pointed her finger toward the crater in front of her. "They're over there, waiting!"

"R-Right!" said Red XIII as he nodded his head at Tifa (who turned to glance back at him silently). "I'm not sure I understand… but I'll go and help both Cloud and Angelina if you want me to, Tifa." Red XIII said to her before he ran swiftly forward pass her toward the crater.

Once Red XIII has ran toward the crater and out of Tifa's sight, Tifa turned to look away from the crater, walked a few steps forward to her left and stop in her tracks to look down the rocky path with a sneaky/evil smile on her face before she began chuckling to herself. "…Heh, Heh, Heh… And don't forget…" Tifa began saying in an evil tone of voice before her image fade away and change into the image of Sephiroth. "…The Black Materia!" finished Sephiroth as he spread his arms out in smug triumph before he disappear from the rocky path completely. Right after Sephiroth vanished from the rocky path, Barret, Cid, Selwyn, Vincent, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter reappear from wherever they had disappear to, all of them lying face-down or on their backs on the path before they slowly get up and stood up from the path they're lying on, groaned and rubbed their sore heads and bodies with their hands.

"What just… happened?" said Yuffie weakly to Barret and the others.

"You ask me… I ask who, girl?" snapped Barret weakly.

"Hey… where's Red XIII?" asked Nina when she noticed that Red XIII's not with them.

"He's… gone." said Selwyn with an "Oh no" look on his face.

XXXX

"Mr. President…" said Scarlet in a fearful tone of voice as she look at the mako cavern around her, Rufus and Hojo with a fearful look on her face (right after the mako cavern around them stop shaking). "I've got a really bad feeling about this place…"

"Hmmm… alright then, Scarlet. Let's all head back to the airship." said Rufus as he turned and nodded his head in agreement with Director Scarlet (while he felt a strong sense of malevolence seeping out of the mako cavern wall around him which completely replaces the previous feeling of peace and calm). "We need to prepare for the inspection anyway." added Rufus.

Just as Rufus, Scarlet and Hojo were about to turned around and left the mako cavern, the mako cavern around the 3 of them suddenly flashed white for a few seconds before it fade away and reveal 2 men and 3 women suddenly standing among the 3 of them in the middle of the cavern. The 2 men and 3 women turns out to be Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Kunsel, all 5 of them being returned to their actual location when Sephiroth's Nibelheim illusion ended. Tifa, Laina and Kunsel were staring with silent, worried looks on their faces at both Cloud and Angelina (and didn't noticed Rufus, Scarlet and Hojo standing with them at first), who were standing a few feet in front of them with their backs to them, their heads lowered and their shoulders sagged.

"Hey! Where did all of you come from!?" yelled Scarlet as she glared at Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina (who immediately had a dark and hateful look on her face when she noticed Hojo) and Kunsel (while both Rufus and Hojo glance at them in silence and with surprise looks on both their faces).

Tifa, Laina (who wipe away her look of hatred for Hojo) and Kunsel ignored Scarlet's angry yell at them while they continue to glance worriedly at both Cloud and Angelina, who still haven't move an inch from their spots after Sephiroth's disappearance.

"We… don't… know…" said both Cloud and Angelina in blank tone of voices before they lifted their heads and slowly turned around to glance at the people standing behind them both. Tifa, Laina and Kunsel were shocked to see that both Cloud and Angelina had heavy/weary looks in their eyes and faces, like something or someone had take away almost all of their lifes and wills to fight.

"This entire place is going to get rough." said Cloud.

"All of us better leave things to us and get out of here while all of you still can!" said Angelina.

"Leave things to you two?" said Rufus in a doubtful tone of voice as he narrowed his eyes at both Cloud and Angelina. "Hmph… I don't know what the 2 of you mean by that." Both Cloud and Angelina turned their heads to glance at Rufus blankly for a few seconds before they turned around to look away from him and the others and lowered their heads to stared down at the cavern ground.

"This is the place where the "Reunion" is happening. Where everything begins and ends." Cloud told them all.

After Cloud say those words, Tifa suddenly ran away from both Laina and Kunsel, ran pass Scarlet toward both Cloud and Angelina and stop in her tracks behind them both. "Cloud! Angie!" Tifa yelled out to them both but they didn't heard her yelling, for some reason.

Suddenly all of them heard the sound of running footsteps coming closer from outside the cavern's entrance and pretty soon they saw that the sound of running footsteps belongs to Red XIII as he ran through the cavern's entrance and stopped in his tracks inside the cavern. Red XIII was panting heavily from running rapidly up the rocky path toward the crater and as he try to catch his breath, he slowly lifted his head to glance around warily at the inside of the cavern. He saw Laina, Kunsel, Tifa (which surprises him), 3 people from Shinra and finally both Cloud and Angelina. Red XIII then remember the reason on why he came here and make his way toward both Cloud and Angelina.

"Hey, Cloud, Angelina!" Red XIII said to them both. "I'm here to help you both!"

Both Cloud and Angelina heard Red XIII voice and as they slowly/steadily lifted their heads to glance at Red XIII, both of them immediately felt sharp jolts of pains spreading from their eyes toward the backs of their heads. Both of them crossed their arms over their chests and shook their heads to get rid of the pains in their heads before they stop shaking their heads, uncrossed their arms from their chests, took a few hesitant steps toward Red XIII, stop in their tracks for a moment to shook their heads from the pains which came back for the second time before they resumed walking toward Red XIII and stop in their tracks in front of him.

"Thank you for coming here to help us, Red XIII." said Angelina blankly to Red XIII.

"Yes, thank you… Red XIII." said Cloud blankly to Red XIII as well. "Where is the Black Materia?"

"Cloud! Angie!" Tifa yelled out to them for the second time and they didn't heard her.

"It's safe with me, Cloud, Angelina. See, I'm still holding onto it." said Red XIII before he slightly turned his head to his right to show them both the Black Materia resting safely in its curved materia slot hole around Red XIII's neck. Both Cloud and Angelina lowered their heads to glance at the Black Materia and smiled a little before they lowered their heads to stared at the ground.

"I'll take it from here, Red XIII." said Cloud. "Give me… the Black Materia."

"Cloud, Angelina! Snap out of it, both of you!" Laina yelled out to both Cloud and Angelina but just like with Tifa, they didn't heard her yelling out to them.

"Cloud! Angie! Can't you 2 hear our voices!?" Tifa yelled out to them for the third time and both of them still haven't heard her yelling out to them.

"Snap out of it already!" Kunsel yelled out to them both and they didn't heard him yelling as well.

"Are the 2 of you alright, Cloud, Angelina?" Red XIII asked both Cloud and Angelina as he raised his head to glance up at them. Both Cloud and Angelina nodded their heads slowly at Red XIII in reply. "Then… here you go, Cloud. I was getting a little worry and apprehensive in holding this materia." said Red XIII to both Cloud and Angelina.

"No, Red XII! Don't do it!" yelled Tifa.

"Don't give the Black Materia to Cloud, Red XIII!" yelled Laina.

Cloud raised his left hand toward the Black Materia in the curved materia slot hole around Red XIII neck and took the Black Materia away from Red XIII (which make Red XIII let out a relieved sigh while Angelina just watch Cloud take and hold the Black Materia close to him in silence). "Again, thank you, Red XIII… leave the rest to us both." Cloud told Red XIII before sad/forlorn smiles appear on both Cloud and Angelina's faces. Right after Cloud took the Black Materia from Red XIII and hold it firmly and carefully in his left hand, a sudden flash of bright white light appear and engulfed both Cloud and Angelina's minds and they immediately saw an image of Sephiroth with an impatient look on his face coming from within the bright white light in both their minds.

" _Come on, you two!"_ demanded Sephiroth impatiently to both Cloud and Angelina. " _Give me the Black Materia!"_

" _Please wait! Just a little longer!"_ both Cloud and Angelina told Sephiroth in their minds and he lapsed into silence and the image of him and the bright white light soon fade away from both Cloud and Angelina's minds before both Cloud and Angelina slowly turned around to glance sadly at everyone else standing in the mako cavern. Both Rufus and Scarlet were staring at both Cloud and Angelina with confusion looks on their faces, Hojo was staring at them with a curious look on his face, Kunsel had turned his face to his left to look away from them and the only ones who look at them directly was Tifa and Laina.

"Everyone, thanks for everything. And… I'm sorry." Cloud began saying to all of them before both he and Angelina turned to glance at each of their friends/companions in turn. Both Cloud and Angelina turned to glance at Kunsel first, say their sorry to him (which make him clench his fists), then they turned around to glance at Red XIII, say their sorry to him before they turned back to glance at both Tifa and Laina. "Especially both of you, Tifa, Laina." Cloud said to them before he lapsed into silence.

"We're really sorry that it had to come to this, Laina." Angelina began saying sadly to Laina. "Even though both you and Tifa were such good friends to us both…"

"Don't say that, Angelina!" said Laina as she shook her head at Angelina's words. "The 2 of you can still snap out of this! It's not too late to do so!"

Angelina lapsed into silence and shook her head at Laina (which make her sagged her shoulders in sadness and disappointment).

"And especially you, Tifa." said Cloud to Tifa. "We're really sorry. You've been so good to us both… and we have no words to say to you…" Cloud didn't say anything and shook his head a little. "We've never lived up to being "Cloud" and "Angelina". Tifa… Maybe someday, you'll meet the real "Cloud" and "Angelina"."

Tifa couldn't take it anymore and she lowered and shook her head before she fell to her knees on the cavern ground, covered her face with her gloved hands and began sobbing uncontrollably. Laina (who glance down at Tifa with sadness/pity on her face) immediately kneel down near her, raised and placed her hands on Tifa's shaking shoulders to try to console her while the sound of Tifa's sorrow/anguish crying echoed throughout the cavern and everyone standing inside it.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha… This is perfect!" Hojo laughed loudly and triumphantly over the sound of Tifa's crying and both Cloud and Angelina turned to glance at him (while Laina glared darkly at him). "It means that my experiments was a complete success." Hojo ceased talking and began to chuckle to himself for a few seconds before he stop chuckling and glance at both Cloud and Angelina. "What numbers were you two?" Hojo asked them both while he take a look at their shoulders and didn't see any numbers on them. "Huh? Where's your tattoos?"

"Professor Hojo… We don't have any numbers on us." said Cloud hesitantly to Hojo.

"The reason on why you didn't gave us numbers was because you said that we're failed experiments." said Angelina.

"What the-?" said Hojo in an unable to believe tone of voice before he turned away from them both. "You 2 mean that only failures like you 2 made it here?"

"Professor… Please give us numbers." pleaded Cloud.

"Please, Professor…" pleaded Angelina as well.

Professor Hojo heard what they said and he turned around to scowled darkly/fiercely at them both. "Shut up, miserable failures…"

"You shut up, you miserable, unmentionable scientist bastard!" snarled Laina angrily at Hojo when she heard what he just said to both Cloud and Angelina before she stood up from the ground, turned to glared hatefully at Hojo before she rapidly make her way toward him (and away from Tifa, who's still sobbing on the ground) and he immediately walked nervously/fearfully backward away from her (and both Cloud and Angelina) until his back bumped against the mako wall of the cavern behind him. "How dare you say that they're miserable failures, you bastard! Both Cloud and Angelina are human beings, not your experiments!" snarled Laina at Hojo before she raised and clench her right hand into a tight, angry fist and punched him hard on his stomach. Hojo gasped in pain from her strong, hard punch before he wrapped his arms over his stomach and fell to his knees on the ground. "It's your fault that you experimented on them both and they became like this, Hojo! And not just the both of them, you also did experiments on Zack, Kunsel, Red XIII and me! And you wanted to do the same thing to Aeris as well!" Laina yelled angrily at Hojo (which caused him to glance up at her with a look on pure terror/fear in his eyes and face) before she grabbed the collar of his white lab-coat, lifted him up in the air in front of her and proceeded to punch his face and body several times with her tightly clenched right fist until Kunsel swiftly approach Laina from behind, grabbed her left arm and told her to stop beating Hojo. She turned her head to glared at Kunsel for interfering before her glare soften and she released Hojo from her tight grip, letting him fall with a heavy thud onto the ground before she gave him some angry kicks to his stomach (which make him winced even more in pain and terror) and both she and Kunsel then turned to look away from Hojo.

While Laina is busy in beating the living daylight out of Hojo until Kunsel stops her, both Cloud and Angelina's shoulders sagged a little at what Hojo just said to them, both of them feeling the last of their sense of self shattered into a dozen pieces within their almost lifeless hearts and souls. Suddenly an image of Sephiroth appear and burned within Cloud and Angelina's minds and both of them began to curled their bodies up into a ball before they felt themselves being lifted up from the cavern ground into thin air by an unseen telekinetic force (which isn't Laina's doing) and immediately taken upward toward the giant cocoon of thick, brown-coloured branches and disappear into the midst of it.

"Who were… those two?" asked Rufus as he lifted his head to glance up at the thick cocoon of brown-coloured branches above him.

Hojo struggle to pushed himself up from the cavern ground and decided to answer Rufus's question (while trying to ignored the bruises/pains caused by Laina on his face and body). "Those 2 are 2 of the copies which I created along with this Donovan woman here and another 1st class male soldier (Laina turned her head to glared darkly at Hojo, which he ignored) shortly after the real Sephiroth died in Nibelheim 5 years ago. Jenova cells and Mako energy, along with my knowledge and skills, have been combined together with science and nature to bring them both back to life… Of course I'm not completely wild about the failure parts, but the "Jenova Reunion Theory" has now been proven correct. You see, even if Jenova's body is dismembered into many pieces, it will eventually try to become one again. That's what is meant by "Jenova's Reunion". I've been waiting in Shinra company for the Reunion to begin. Five years have passed by, and now the copies of Sephiroth have begun to woke up and return. I initially thought that all of the copies of Sephiroth would begin to gather at Midgar where Jenova is stored. But my predictions were not entirely accurate, because Jenova itself began to move away from the Shinra building."

Up within the thick branches of the nest, both Cloud and Angelina were standing back to back to each other and upside down on one of the branches. Angelina didn't say anything while Cloud held onto the Black Materia firmly and carefully in his left hand, both of them listening attentively to what Professor Hojo is saying to the others far below them.

"But being the genius that I am, I soon got it figured out." Hojo continue saying while Laina let out a snort of derision/anger. "You see, this is all Sephiroth's doing. Sephiroth is not just content to diffuse his will into the Lifestream, he wants to manipulate all of copies himself. Well, almost all of the copies except for this Donovan woman here, which he's somehow unable to manipulate." Hojo ceased his talking to briefly glance at Laina (who had a frown look on her face when she heard his last few words) before he resumed talking. "I wondered where the copies were going, but I was never able to figure it out."

" _Yes, that's right. That was how it got started."_ thought both Cloud and Angelina in their minds before they sat down on the branches. " _And we couldn't figure it out either."_

"What do you mean by Sephiroth unable to manipulate me, Hojo?" demanded Laina as she glared at Hojo.

Hojo answered her question. "During my tests/experimentations on you, the other 1st class male soldier and those 2 above us inside the underground laboratory under the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim, my fellow scientist/colleagues and I were able to find out about an unknown power forming within you. But other than that unknown power, we also find out about another kind of energy barrier being place on you, almost like someone placed it there to protect you from Sephiroth's mind manipulation in the near future."

" _Someone wants to protect my mind from being invaded by Sephiroth? Could that someone be Zack, or maybe Angeal or Genesis?"_ thought Laina to herself.

As Laina began pondering to herself (while Tifa slowly stood up from the cavern ground and wipe her tears away with her gloved hand), Hojo resumed his talking to Rufus and the others. "The one thing that I did know was that Sephiroth was at their final destination."

" _We weren't pursuing Sephiroth of our own free wills."_ thought both Cloud and Angelina bitterly to themselves. " _We were being summoned by Sephiroth. All the anger/hatred we had against him is what made it impossible for us to forget him. That and what he gave us."_ both Cloud and Angelina ceased their train of thoughts, slowly stood up from the branches and they look around the nest for… Sephiroth.

" _Sephiroth, where are you?"_ Angelina said to Sephiroth in her mind.

" _We're here now, Sephiroth."_ Cloud said to Sephiroth in his mind. " _And we brought you the Black Materia. So show yourself to us. Where are you?"_

A sudden feeling rose up from the backs of both Cloud and Angelina's minds and they immediately stop looking around the nest for Sephiroth, turned around and began making their way toward the very center of the nest (where the thick branches grew the thickest), stop in their tracks and they look into it and saw the bottom of a mako blue-coloured crystal slightly poking out through some of the thick branches.

" _Sephiroth… So we finally meet again."_ thought both Cloud and Angelina in their minds before they began to stepped up to the edge of one of the branch. Their movements causes the nest to begin shaking perilously before the branches which supports the center canopy of the nest snapped apart and release the mako blue-coloured crystal it held within. The mako blue-coloured crystal slipped a little from its grasp and causes several semi-large rocks, twigs and dusts to fall from the nest down to the people standing on the cavern ground below.

Tifa, Laina, Kunsel, Red XIII, Rufus, Scarlet and Hojo raised their heads to glance up at mako blue-coloured crystal and some of them immediately had looks of shock and horror on their faces when they saw what was encased inside the crystal, which turns out to be Sephiroth himself. The lone/naked upper-half of Sephiroth's body (which is perfectly preserved in the crystal) is slumbering deeply within the crystal while the lower-half of his body is gone.

Right after the crystal came out from the nest, the disturbance of the nest causes the cavern to shake violently around them for the third time. More semi-large chunks of rocks dislodged themselves from the cavern walls and the cavern ceiling above them and they fell down onto the ground while the same muffled roar of the monster roared out for the third time from within the cavern wall.

"Did all of you see it! It's Sephiroth! So he IS here!" said Hojo in a weak yet delightful tone of voice to Tifa, Laina and the others. "This is perfect! Both Jenova's Reunion and Sephiroth's will! They won't be diffused into the Lifestream, but gathered here!" Hojo told them before he began to laughed weakly then heartily to himself.

"Shut your annoying laughter already, you bastard!" snarled Laina before she raised and drew back her left hand to backhand Hojo's bruised face hard, causing his face to turn sharply to his left and silence his laughter.

"What are you so happy about, Professor?" snapped Tifa as she glared angrily at Hojo. "Don't you know what this means? They have the Black Materia and they're going to hand it over to Sephiroth who's going to use it to summon Meteor! Every single living person on the Planet is going to die!"

Hojo glance at Tifa and smirked at her. Tifa deepen her glare when she saw the smirking look on his face and just as she was about to raised her right gloved hand to smack that look away from Hojo's face, Laina beat her to it by giving him another hard slap to his face.

"Whatever I say now is too little… too late… We must evacuate from this place." said Rufus as he turned to glance at Tifa, Laina, Kunsel and Red XIII (who turned around to glance at him). "I want all of you to come with me. There is still much more I want to hear from you all."

"What are you talking about? There's no way we're leaving this place without Cloud and Angelina!" said Laina.

"I agreed with her! I'm not leaving my 2 childhood friends behind!" said Tifa to Rufus as she nodded her head at Laina.

"The 2 of you don't have much of a choice now." Rufus told them.

"I hate to say this, Laina, Tifa, but he's right." said Kunsel grimly. "We've to leave them both behind and get out of this place ASAP."

Both Tifa and Laina glared at Kunsel for saying such a thing to them before they raised their heads to glance up at both Cloud and Angelina, who had stepped away from the nest of thick branches and is now floating in thin air in front of the crystal where the upper-half figure of Sephiroth slept on.

"Cloud! Angelina! NO! Stop! Please!" Red XIII yelled at them over the loud and violent shaking of the cavern.

Both Cloud and Angelina crossed their arms over their chests and groaned as though in deep pains when they heard Red XIII yelling up at them before they began to float down and away from the crystal. But before their feet could touched the bottom of the cavern ground and reached their friends/companions, they were pull upward and back toward the crystal again.

"Cloud-!" yelled Tifa.

"Angelina-!" yelled Laina.

Both of their yellings were immediately drowned out by the sound of the violent shaking cavern around them and by the impatient call of Sephiroth demanding the Black Materia from them. Both Cloud and Angelina shook their heads to pushed away the doubts inside, floated their way closer to the crystal and Cloud held the Black Materia out and pushed his left hand straight through the crystal (which instantly liquefied at Cloud's touch and allow his hand to enter the crystal easily) while Angelina watched him handed the Black Materia to Sephiroth in silence. Soon after Cloud handed the Black Materia over to Sephiroth and pull his hand out of the crystal, the Black Materia began to emitted a dark purplish-coloured light which filled the crystal and casted an eerie light over Sephiroth's sleeping upper-half form. Bolts of blue-coloured lightning began to appear and erupt out of the Black Materia, filling the crystal and Sephiroth's sleeping form with its dark and powerful energy (while causing the crystal to begin shaking violently).

As the crystal began shaking violently due to the Black Materia activating its power inside it, the large greenish-white coloured reptilian eye of the Weapon snapped open and didn't close up this time as it awake completely while the cavern ground began to shake even more violently than before. Tifa, Red XIII, Kunsel (who quickly lifted and placed Laina on his right shoulder while ignoring her struggling), Rufus and Hojo immediately turned around and flee for their lives through the cavern entrance. After all of them run through the cavern entrance and out of the cavern, huge cracks began to formed rapidly on the cavern ground, as though some huge monster was trying to force itself out from deep beneath the inner surface of the North Crater. The violent shaking of the entire cavern soon causes the crystal to finally fall free from its nest of branches and landed on the heavily cracked ground before the nest of branches above it break apart as the huge wave of greenish-white mako geyser from above flowing down into the cavern like a huge mako tsunami (and plunge both Cloud and Angelina into its strong, watery current until they disappear within its depths).

Outside of the North Crater, a great beam of bright white light rise up from within its depths, bursting its way through the swirling cylindrical pillar of the mako barrier/wall and straight up toward the night sky. As the beam of bright white light shot upward, the Shinra airship immediately flew up from the crater's ground, turned to its right and speed itself away from the crater as fast as it can.

As the great beam of bright white light rose up toward the night sky, a gigantic monster with bright yellow-coloured reptilian eyes and its whole body covered in sapphire-coloured armour woke up from its long slumber before it rose upward and break itself through the bright white light and vanished into the night sky. Soon after the first gigantic monster vanished into the night, a second gigantic monster with bright white-coloured eyes on its face and a huge glowing red-coloured orb in its chest raised its diamond-coloured arms from below the snowy depths of the crater, grabbed and sanked its sharp diamond claws into the snow to climbed itself out of the crater onto the surface. After it finally got itself out of the crater and stand up on the crater's surface, it raised both of its arms and let out a loud roar.

On the outer deck of the Shinra airship, Tifa, Laina, Barret, Kunsel, Cid and Cait Sith had gathered and stood near the metallic railings of the airship to look down and see what was happening (while Red XIII, Selwyn, Yuffie, Vincent, Nina and Carter decided to stay inside the airship to be safe) and all 6 of them saw the 2 gigantic monsters appear from within the depths of the North Crater with looks of fear/horror on their faces.

Suddenly Tifa, Laina, Barret, Kunsel, Cid and Cait Sith felt the airship shuddered (which causes them to slightly lose their balance) then tilted from side to side and as they lifted their heads to look up, they saw that a third gigantic monster in the form of an ebony-coloured metallic dragon with a huge glowing dark pink-coloured glowing orb in its chest had rose up from the depths of the crater and is now hovering near the airship. The gigantic, ebony-coloured dragon lowered its head to glance down at the airship with its bright red-coloured eyes before it raised its head to look away from the airship, let out a loud roar before blue ripples of light energy began to appear and circled around its body and it immediately surged itself forward and disappear into the night.

The huge and strong wind force created by the ebony-coloured dragon skimmed the side of the airship, causes it to tilted heavily from side to side for the second time. Laina struggle to keep herself to stay firm and upright against the violent tilting of the airship to no avail and she soon found herself falling backward over the metallic railings of the airship and down toward the North Crater.

"AHHHHH!" Laina screamed as she fell down and away from the airship.

"LAINA!" screamed Kunsel in horror when he saw her falling over the railings of the airship and vanished within the beam of bright white light.

As for Tifa, she also struggle to keep herself staying firm and upright on the floor of the outer deck as it tilted violently from side to side (while the strong gust of wind blew her long hair around her face and body) before she loses her balance, fell down backward and got the back of her head knock against the floor of the deck hard and she soon passed out from the impact just as Barret make his way over to her and quickly grabbed hold of her before she could fall off the deck like Laina did seconds ago.

After Tifa passed out (and Kunsel fell to his knees near the railing in sorrow for unable to grabbed hold of Laina before her fall), Barret turned his head to look down at the North Crater and he saw 4 more gigantic monsters burst out from its depths and flew off at high speed in different directions into the night, away from the crater. As the beam of bright white light began to slowly dimmed down and the gigantic monsters flew off and vanished in different directions, the Shinra airship quickly flew away into the night.


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56: Phemie and Tifa's despair**

 **Two days after the terrible event at North Crater…**

Phemie felt a large part of her heart sank slowly into despair for the second time when she heard the heart-breaking words Kunsel told her of what had happened to her older sister while he stayed inside a solitary prison cell in Junon (with metallic handcuffs placed on his hands by Heidegger to prevent him from using his power and materia), with Crisis standing next to her and staring at her with a sad/pity look on his face.

"No, no, not again…" said Phemie as she shake her head in denial before she turned away from Kunsel to Crisis, leaned her head on his chest while tears fell from her eyes and lightly soaked Crisis shirt (while Crisis comfort/console her by holding/hugging her). "First she nearly died in Nibelheim with Zack and the others 5 years ago and now you're telling me that she fell from the airship down to North Crater and vanished in the beam of bright light?"

"…Yes, Phemie. That's exactly what I saw with my own eyes 2 days ago." said Kunsel in a sorrow tone of voice to Phemie. "And Phemie, I'm so sorry that I didn't grabbed hold of her fast enough. If only I did."

"Yeah, you should have, Kunsel." said Phemie in a small and angry tone of voice. "But you didn't and now she's…" Phemie trailed off and didn't say anymore words to Kunsel, who turned his head away in guilt/sorrow.

"Hey, hey, Phemie. Don't let your anger and grief take over you and don't blame Kunsel very much for what happened to Laina." said Crisis as he placed his left hand under her chin and lifted her face to make her glance up at him (while he wipe her tears away with his right hand). "Remember that last time I told you that she died in Nibelheim with Zack and the others and it turns out that she didn't?" Crisis told Phemie and she slowly nodded.

"Yes, you did, Crisis." said Phemie.

"Crisis's right, Phemie." said Kunsel. "I'm sure that Laina is trying to find a way back to us, her friends and her only sibling. So… I think we should believe in her and wait for her."

Phemie slowly pull away from Crisis, glance back and forth at both Crisis and Kunsel and slowly nodded her head in agreement with them. " _I hope that both Crisis and Kunsel are right that you're still alive and is trying to find a way back right now, sister."_ thought Phemie in her mind.

XXXX

Within the darkness, the Planet let out its cries of mourn and despair, loud enough to be heard by the ones who passed away and joined into the Lifestream or by the few living people who had the special ability to hear it. And also in the darkness, both Cloud and Angelina sat silently side by side all alone in it before they lowered their heads onto their knees and closed their eyes, ready to fall sleep forever.

"Cloud… Angie…" Tifa's voice called out to them both from behind. Her voice was like a sharp dagger plunging into their hearts, reminding them of the unforgivable things which they had done. Both of them immediately stood up from their sitting position and walked forward, deeper into the darkness.

"Wait! Don't go, Cloud, Angie!" pleaded Tifa as she run after them both to try to bring them back until she watched helplessly as they disappear into the darkness and she stop running, fell to her knees, cried and blamed both Laina and herself for not telling them both the truth sooner and for what happened to them. "…I didn't know what to do." said Tifa in a sorrow tone of voice to herself. "I was always like that…"

As Tifa continue crying on, she suddenly recalled the day that she saw her 2 childhood friends, Cloud Strife and Angelina Pierce with the soldier woman named Laina Donovan standing near them both at the train station in the Sector 7 slums of Midgar.

XXXX

 _Tifa is heading toward the Sector 7 train station to look for Barret, thinking to herself that she might find him there but when she arrived at the train station, she saw something odd happening in front of her. A long chestnut-haired woman wearing a long velvet blue-coloured coat over her black T-shirt, black jeans, brown cotton boots on her feet and a long crimson-coloured saber strapped behind her is staring with a worry look on her face down at the young spiky blonde-haired guy and the young, long brown-haired girl (both of them were wearing black-coloured SOLDIER 1st class outfits) who had collapsed on the floor after they got off the train. Both the spiky blonde-haired guy and the long brown-haired girl had unusual bluish glow in their eyes and their faces were very pale and sick looking. A large sword lie on the ground next to the guy while a long blackish-silver naginata lay across on the girl's lap._

" _Not again…" said the long chestnut-haired woman in a dismay tone of voice._

" _Ohhh…" moaned the young spiky blonde-haired guy as he slowly lifted his head to glance weakly/groggily up at the chestnut-haired woman for a few seconds before his head fell back down near his chest._

" _What should I do now?" said the woman as she shake her head and let out a small sigh._

" _Ooouugh…" moaned the young, long brown-haired girl weakly/groggily._

 _Tifa immediately choose that moment to run toward the 2 weak and sickly-looking spiky blonde-haired guy and the long brown-haired girl collapsed on the ground, with the intention to try to offer some help to the chestnut-haired woman. "Do you need any help?" Tifa asked the chestnut-haired woman._

" _Yes, I do need some help. Thank you very much." replied the chestnut-haired woman before she turned her head to glance at Tifa and slightly widened her eyes in surprise when she recognized her. Tifa glance at the chestnut-haired woman and widened her eyes in surprise when she recognized her as well, but before they could say anymore words, they heard some more weak moaning sounds coming from the guy and the girl near them both on the ground._

" _Oo…uh…agh." the guy and the girl moaned weakly/groggily some more when they heard Tifa talking to the woman near them both before they slowly raised their heads to glance up at her. Tifa glance away from the woman down at them and she saw that the guy's eyes were bright blue in colour, the same eye colour which the chestnut-haired woman had in her eyes while the girl's eyes were violet in colour._

" _Uh… uh… Tifa…?" said the guy weakly._

" _Tifa?... Is… that… you…?" said the girl weakly._

 _Tifa gasped in surprised when she heard the guy and the girl say and know her name while the chestnut-haired woman widened her eyes in surprised at the same time._

" _What the? How did this guy and this girl know my name?" thought Tifa in surprise to herself._

" _They recognized her! Could they somehow be getting slightly better?" thought the chestnut-haired woman to herself while a faint feeling of hope started to formed within her heart._

 _Both the guy and the girl winced and shake their heads in pain, breaking Tifa and the chestnut-haired woman out of their train of thoughts. They close their eyes and groaned in pain for a few seconds before they opened their eyes and glance up at Tifa and the chestnut-haired woman._

" _Tifa… Laina…?" the guy and the girl said the chestnut-haired woman name and her name for the second time before they both groaned and hold their heads with their hands in pain. The chestnut-haired woman named Laina immediately kneel down near them both, put her hands on their shoulders to try to comfort them both. Suddenly the guy and the girl lowered their hands from their heads, stood rapidly up from the ground and nearly caused Laina to fell back on the ground. Both the guy and the girl straighten themselves before they glance at Tifa (who take a few steps backward away from them both while Laina stood up from the ground) and smiled at her._

" _Tifa!" said the guy and the girl in excited tone of voices to Tifa, who stared at them both with a confusion look on her face (while Laina stared at the 3 of them in silence) before some flickers of past memories appeared in her mind and she remembered them both._

" _Oh, that's right, I remember who you two are now!" said Tifa to the guy and the girl. "You 2 are Cloud and Angelina, my childhood friends from Nibelheim!"_

 _Both the guy named Cloud and the girl named Angelina nodded their heads in agreement at Tifa._

" _That's right, Tifa." said Angelina._

" _We're Cloud and Angelina." said Cloud to Tifa as he raised his huge sword near the right side of his head._

" _Is it really you two, Cloud, Angie?" said Tifa as she smiled and felt very glad to run into 2 of her oldest childhood friends. "I never thought that I'd find and see you 2 here!"_

" _Yeah, Tifa. It's been a while since we last met." said Cloud as both he and Angelina nodded their heads at Tifa._

" _What happened to the both of you? You two don't look very well." asked Tifa as she pointed out their pale-looking faces and sweat damp hairs._

" _Huh? What do you mean by that, Tifa?" said Angelina, confused._

"… _Yeah?" said Cloud, confused as well. "It's nothing. We're both okay. Isn't that right, Laina?" added Cloud before both he and Angelina glance at Laina._

"… _Yeah, that's right." said Laina in a small and slightly sad tone of voice._

 _Tifa glance back and forth at Laina (who turned her head to her right), Cloud and Angelina before she turned around to look away from the 3 of them, feeling that something wasn't right about them. While Tifa had turned around to look away from them, Laina noticed/saw with a sad/worry look on her face that both Cloud and Angelina suddenly close their eyes and clutch their heads with their hands in pain. But at the very second when Tifa turned back to them, however, both Cloud and Angelina open their eyes, lowered their hands from their heads and acted like everything is normal._

" _How long has it been since we last met in Nibelheim, Cloud, Angie?" Tifa asked thoughtfully to both of them._

 _Her question make both Cloud and Angelina twitch a little before they groaned and clutch their heads with their hands in pain again. Tifa watched and shake her head sadly at them, feeling a little regret in asking them such a question. A few seconds later, both Cloud and Angelina lowered their hands from their heads, glance at Tifa and answered her question._

" _Five years, Tifa." answered both Cloud and Angelina._

"…" _said Tifa, in silence._

" _What's wrong, Tifa?" asked Angelina when she noticed that Tifa had gone silent._

" _What is it, Tifa?" asked Cloud when he noticed the sad/worried look on Tifa's face while he shrugged his shoulders in a dismissive manner._

"… _Nothing, Cloud, Angie." said Tifa as she slowly shake her head a little. "Just that it's been a long time, that's all."_

"Actually, seven years has passed by since we last met, Cloud, Angie." said Tifa to herself. "The 2 of you finally got your wish and joined SOLDIER together, met and befriended a 1st class female soldier named Laina Donovan then the 3 of you quit SOLDIER soon after the whole incident with Sephiroth, and now you, Angie and Laina became mercenaries… Both you and Angie told me a lot about what had happened after you 2 left Nibelheim together. But… Something felt very wrong to me. I felt like there's something strange about the things which you and Angie told me about. All the things you 2 didn't know that you 2 should, and other things you 2 shouldn't know that you 2 did… I wanted to make sure so I confronted Laina and demanded the truth from her, she refused to tell me at first so I kept demanded then pleaded to her to tell me about it until she finally relented and tell me the entire truth. After she told me everything, I felt very sad, shock and horror all at once and then I heard and felt that… the 2 of you were going far away… And I didn't want that… I didn't know what to do. So, I thought that I needed more time. And that's why I told you and Angie about the AVALANCHE job. I wanted to be you 2, watching over you 2. Laina agreed reluctantly with my idea and the 2 of us watched the 2 of you warily/carefully."

Tifa slowly closed her eyes and began weeping in sorrow/anguish in the darkness.


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57: Public executions**

When Tifa opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the bright, harsh glare of pristine white light and heard the same anguish crying/wailings of the Lifestream in the Planet everywhere around her. Tifa instantly close her eyes from the bright white light and covered her ears with her gloved hands from the wailings, groaned softly and turned her head and body to her right, wishing that the bright white light and the wailings would dimmed and quiet down and disappear. Soon the wailings of the Planet's Lifestream quiet down and fade away (and Tifa lowered her hands from her ears) but the bright white light continue to shine its light around her, bringing her back to wakefulness. She groaned, turned and lie her body down on her back and slowly opened then closed her eyes for the second time, take a small breath and she soon felt the presence of someone not far from her.

"…ding…" said Tifa in a weak/small tone of voice.

"Huh?" said a confused male voice from her left (which Tifa instantly recognized as Barret's deep, baritone voice).

"The glare…" said Tifa quietly to Barret.

"You'll be better soon, Tifa." said Barret. "You've been asleep for a long time."

" _I've been asleep for a long time? How long have I been sleeping?"_ thought Tifa in her mind before she slowly opened her eyes for the third time, turned her head to her left and she could barely see Barret sitting on a chair and leaning his back against the wall nearby her to her left. The bright white light obscured most of his image from her and she closed her eyes and turned her head back to face the ceiling above her.

"I'm… hungry…" Tifa told Barret as she suddenly became aware of how hungry she was and about other things, too. Like how stiff and sore her entire body was and how she's lying on her back on a hard metallic rectangular table with nothing but a firm pillow under her head.

Barret chuckle in amusement when he heard what Tifa just said to him before he quickly ceased his chuckling and began talking to Tifa in a serious tone of voice. "Hey, Tifa. Why didn't you ask me?" Barret asked Tifa before he stood up from the chair he's sitting on. "About him and her."

The bright white light around Tifa abruptly fade away and disappear and Tifa opened her eyes for the fourth time, stared up at the ceiling above her for a few seconds before she pushed herself up from the table by her elbows and hands and slowly turned her head to her left to glance at Barret. "….It's because I'm afraid." said Tifa in a fearful tone of voice to Barret.

"Don't you worry, Tifa." said Barret in a small tone of voice to Tifa. "I don't know what happened to both Cloud and Angelina either." Barret then approach Tifa, stop in his tracks a few feet in front of her and raised his left hand to scratch the back of his head. "Guess I shouldn't tell you not to worry… None of them knows if both Cloud and Angelina are all right, either. Furthermore, they don't even know where that Laina Donovan is or if she's still all right."

A sad/worry look appear on Tifa's face when she heard what Barret just told her before she look away from him. "The 3 of them are still… alive somewhere out there, right, Barret?" Tifa asked Barret and he nodded his head at her. Tifa then took a deep breath and sighed heavily before she glance at Barret again. "How long… was I asleep?"

"Lesse now…" said Barret as he crossed his arms over his chest, thinking for a moment. "Must've been about 10 days already."

"And what about Sephiroth, Barret?" Tifa asked Barret.

"You ain't over it yet, Tifa." said Barret in a gravely tone of voice to Tifa. Tifa raised her eyebrows while a questioning look appear on her face and Barret let out a small sigh when he saw the questioning look on her face and began explaining/telling her about it. "Remember that huge beam of light which shone out of the Northern Crater 10 days ago?" Barret told Tifa and she nodded her head before she turned to her right, swung her legs over the side of the table and let her feet touch the cold metallic floor. "Since then, the crater's been covered and protected by a huge transparent barrier. Everyone knows that Sephiroth slumbers in that big hole, protected by the huge transparent barrier which he created. We can't do a damn thing about it. All we can do now is gotta wait till he wakes up. An' on topa that, several huge monsters called "Weapons" been on a rampage in various different places."

"…Weapon?" asked Tifa as she glance at Barret, confused.

"Remember those huge monsters that was with Sephiroth at the bottom of the crater until they came bursting out of it?" said Barret to Tifa. "Everyone says that they're legendary monsters from the past."

Tifa heard what Barret said to her and flashes of memories of the entire terrible event back in the Northern Crater appear and flash through her mind, making her remember about it. She remember seeing both Cloud and Angelina floating up from the ground and away from her, Laina and the others, staring down at them with sad looks on their faces before Cloud handed the Black Materia over to Sephiroth (while Angelina watched and didn't do anything) who immediately uses it to summon Meteor before the blue-coloured mako crystal which encased Sephiroth fell down from its nest of cocoon toward the ground. She also remember the huge geyser of mako fountain fell down into the crater, break apart the cocoon of nest, swept/swallow both Cloud and Angelina into its watery depths, a huge beam of bright white light burst out of the crater up toward the night sky, several huge monsters burst/climb out of the huge crater hole and split off in different directions into the night, Laina falling backward from the airship and vanished from their sights…

Tifa closed her eyes and shook her head a little to not think about it before she glance at Barret. "Weapons… is protecting Sephiroth?" Tifa asked Barret.

"Dunno." answered/admitted Barret as he slowly shake his head. "But he's up here and goin' around and tearin' shit up. Right now Rufus and his Shinra lackeys fightin' it. I hate to say it, but that Rufus got guts."

Tifa look away from Barret, let out a small sigh before she got off the table and stood up. While Tifa got herself off the table, Barret turned to his right, walked away from her slowly across the room toward the right corner of the room, near one of the shuttered windows and stop in his tracks.

"We shoulda been the ones to destroy it, but now we ain't got no time…" said Barret as he let out a small sigh.

"Time…" Tifa repeated Barret's last word before she turned around to glance at Barret's back. "… Hey! How about Meteor?" Tifa asked Barret.

Barret didn't answered Tifa's question, instead he turned around and glance at her with a gravely look on his face before he raised his left hand and pressed a small red-coloured button at the bottom base of the shuttered window near him. Right after Barret pressed the red-coloured button, the sound of a click sounded out in the room and all of the metal shutters which covered the windows began to open and slid up, letting glowing reddish-orange light to flood into the room. Tifa glance at Barret for a few seconds before she glance away from him, make her way toward one of the windows to gaze through the open window to look outside and up at the sky and she gasped while a horrified look appear on her face.

The sky which she's currently seeing through the window now was not the same sky she saw with her friends/companions 10 days ago. The normally clear blue sky with puffy white clouds and a bright yellow sun in the sky had been replaced with a burning hue of reddish-orange coloured sky, which make the sky seem as though it's burning up. The moon is the only planet visible in the sky, though right now the moon was just a dark-coloured round-shaped planet in the reddish-orange sky.

But the most terrifying sight which Tifa had never seen before in her life was the huge Meteor which floated high in the reddish-orange sky, with swirling reddish-orange coloured flames covering/swirling around it and which is larger than the moon and is getting closer to their planet with each passing day. The huge size of the Meteor and how close it is to the planet made Tifa's heart and soul shudder with fear and dread and she quickly turned her gaze away from the terrifying sight, not wanting to see it any longer.

"So, that's it for us? Do we have to give up?" Tifa asked Barret as she turned her head to glance at Barret (who also glance at her with a fear look on his face and in his eyes).

"…Dunno, Tifa." answered Barret in a small and fearful tone of voice before he turned his face to look away from Tifa.

As Tifa watched Barret in silence while Barret still not looking back at her, the metallic door behind them both opened and both Tifa and Barret turned around and they saw Rufus Shinra walked into the room alone. Both Tifa and Barret instantly stiffen their shoulders and glared darkly at the president of Shinra while Rufus returned Tifa and Barret's glares with a disdain look of his own.

"I thought that either Cloud or Angelina or Laina would swiftly came to Junon to saved/rescued you all… Guess I thought wrong." said Rufus to both Tifa and Barret in a disappointed tone of voice before he crossed his arms over his chest. "Professor Hojo wanted to check up on Cloud, Angelina and Laina too."

"What are you going to do to them?" demanded Tifa angrily to Rufus.

"Sephiroth's 2 alter egos and the Donovan woman who's immune to his mind manipulation…" muttered Rufus quietly under his breath as he raised his right hand to flick a lock of his blonde hair behind his ear. "Sephiroth has summoned Meteor… Essentially, it's all but over now. So, there's no need for either of you now." said Rufus coldly to both Tifa and Barret as he approach them and stop in his tracks a few feet in front of them. "No, maybe there is 1 important task which you 2 and that soldier named Kunsel Ashbourne can still do…" added Rufus sinisterly to them both.

Before either Tifa or Barret could say anything, they saw Heidegger walked through the opened door, into the room with a weighty swagger and a large smug smile/look on his bearded face. He stop in his tracks behind Rufus and began chuckling smugly.

"President! The preparations for the public executions are complete." Heidegger told Rufus.

"Executions!?" yelled Barret angrily while the glaring look on his face darker even more. "What're ya gonna get by executin' us?" demanded Barret.

Rufus smiled coldly/wickedly at the dark/angry look on Barret's face before he told both him and Tifa the reason why. "The 2 of you plus that Kunsel Ashbourne are to be executed for starting and causing this terrible situation. People are ignorant. They'll feel better as long as someone is punished severely for it."

Barret clench his shaking left hand into a tight angry fist while he struggle to find words strong enough to use against/tell off the president and control himself from killing both him and Heidegger off. "I take back what little praise I had for this no good damn jackass and his damn Shinra lackey!"

Rufus smiled coldly/wickedly for the second time at Barret's display of anger toward both him and Heidegger before he raised his right hand and flick his hair behind his ear again. "Well, the 2 of you and that Kunsel Ashbourne guy should savor your final moments on this planet before your inevitable executions." Rufus told them smoothly before he turned around, walked past Heidegger and through the opened door, out of the room.

Once Rufus left the room, Heidegger glance at both Tifa and Barret with a cold/wicked smile on his bearded face. "I'll tie up both your arms now." Heidegger told them both before he began approaching them.

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After Heidegger watched smugly as Crisis, Phemie, Mark and Fiona restrain and put the metallic handcuffs on both Barret (who beat the living daylight out of both Mark and Fiona while Crisis put himself in front of Phemie to protect her from Barret's wrath before they managed to put the handcuffs on his arms) and Tifa's arms to keep them firmly placed behind their backs, Heidegger and the 4 Turks then take them both out of the room, both Tifa and Barret saw and joined up with Kunsel before they turned to their left to walked down a hallway then walked down several flights of staircase, arrived and went through a sliding metallic doorway into a main control room (which is filled with long rectangular tables with many computers on them, a long mahogany table in front of them and with three large windows facing out at the huge ocean behind the long mahogany table).

Heidegger stop in his tracks (while the 4 Turks, Tifa, Barret and Kunsel stop behind him), turned around to glance and ordered both Crisis and Phemie to take Tifa, Barret and Kunsel out of the room toward the execution room. Both Crisis and Phemie nodded without saying anything before they take both Tifa, Barret and Kunsel wiftly out of the room while both Mark and Fiona stay in the room with Heidegger before the 3 of them turned around and joined up with Rufus (who's standing with his back to them near one of the large windows).

After both Crisis and Phemie take both Tifa, Barret and Kunsel out of the room, they walked down 2 more flights of staircases until they finally arrived at their destination. Crisis decided to stand guard outside the room with some Shinra securities while Phemie opened the huge metallic double doors in front of her with a keycard and she take Tifa, Barret and Kunsel firmly into the room (which is a large square-shaped room filled with many chairs in the center of the room with a number of journalists men and women wearing business suits sitting on the chairs while others decided to stand and holding microphones/video cameras in their hands and with blue-coloured lights shining down on them from the ceiling).

After Phemie take Tifa, Barret and Kunsel into the room and she stand guard inside the room near the opened double door, Tifa, Barret and Kunsel walked past the journalists sitting on the chairs or standing with their microphones/cameras toward the front of the room (where Scarlet is standing with her back to a long brown-coloured table with several microphones on it and staring at Tifa, Barret and Kunsel with a smug smile on her red lips and a look of disgust in her eyes).

"Is everyone here?" said Scarlet in a slightly loud tone of voice at all of the journalists sitting/standing in the room while she raised her left hand to pointed/gestured at both Tifa and Barret. "These 3 terrorists here are some of the people who brought this madness/disaster into the world/planet!"

Some of the people standing in the room immediately turned their cameras around to faced Tifa, Barret and Kunsel. Barret turned his head left and right to glared at the journalists and the people pointing their camera at them before he turned his head to glared at Scarlet (while both Tifa and Kunsel glared at all the journalists and Scarlet in silent). "The hell are these people?" said Barret to Scarlet angrily.

"We'll be broadcasting your miserable executions and deaths live on national television for everyone to see." Scarlet told Barret.

One of the journalists, who's standing with his 2 camera people on either side of him and wearing a large/tight light purple-coloured suit which clung close to his bizarre-looking short/rotund body turned to glance at Scarlet and hold out the microphone in his right hand at her. "Scarlet, why a public execution in this day and age?" the strange-looking journalist asked her in a slightly high and accented tone of voice (while his 2 camera people turned their cameras to faced her).

"With the chaos resulting from the Meteor reports, we desperately need to rally public supports… It's better for us and for all of the people living on the planet that we punish somebody, anybody." answered Scarlet in a smooth/charming tone of voice to the strange-looking journalist before she turned to her right and walked away from him and his 2 camera people.

"You make me sick…" said Tifa harshly as she glared at Scarlet.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" laughed Scarlet happily to herself. "They'll never admit it, but everyone loves this kind of stuff!" said Scarlet in a cold/happy tone of voice before she turned around and raised her left hand to pointed at Tifa. "We'll start with this girl."

"Oh no, you don't!" said Kunsel angrily at Scarlet before a security approach him, raised his assault rifle and hit Kunsel hard on his stomach, which make him grunted in pain and nearly sent him to his knees.

"If you're gonna execute someone… execute me first!" Barret yelled furiously at Scarlet while he struggle/strained to break his arms free from the metallic handcuffs on his arms to no avail.

Both Barret and Kunsel's outbursts of anger for Scarlet and sentiment for Tifa and Barret's struggling attempt to break free from the metallic handcuffs on his arms amused Scarlet greatly. A wide grin spread on her face as she raised and waved her right hand excitedly at the camera people, motioning for them to turned their cameras to record/videotape what both Kunsel and Barret had just done. "Camera, this way!" Scarlet exclaimed to them. "Make sure all of you get this entire scene, the audience just loves and eats up tearful farewells!"

Some Shinra securities approach to restrain Kunsel and also restrain Barret from his struggling and both Kunsel and Barret watched helplessly as Scarlet approach Tifa, grabbed her left arm and roughly dragged her toward a closed door at the far left corner of the room.


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58: Attack of Sapphire Weapon, part 1**

Scarlet unlocked the closed door and ushered Tifa roughly into the room after it open inward before she went into the room behind her as well. As Tifa stepped into the room, she take a look around the room and saw that it's a small square-shaped room which contains only a single metallic chair with strong-looking metal handcuffs on the handles of the chair and with several metallic pipes hanging down from the ceiling and facing the chair (while a single Shinra security stand near the chair). Tifa had a nervous look on her face when she saw the number of pipes facing the chair and Scarlet shoved Tifa's back hard, causing her to stagger nearer to the chair before she kept her balance and turned around to glared defiantly at Scarlet.

"What are you doing!?" Tifa snapped at Scarlet.

"What am I doing, you say? I'll tell you then." said Scarlet in a smug tone of voice to Tifa as she approach and stand in front of her. "This is my special poisonous gas chamber, girl." Scarlet told her in a low and sinister tone of voice. "Take your time, and enjoy a slow, painful and excruciating death in here."

Right after Scarlet's done telling Tifa about the uses of her special room, the security who stand near the chair approach Tifa from behind and unbound her hands from the handcuffs. Once the security unbound Tifa's hands from the handcuffs, turned and walked back to the chair, both Tifa and Scarlet glance at each other before Scarlet raised her right hand and shoved Tifa hard for the second time, which make Tifa stagger backward away from Scarlet and fell down into the chair. While Tifa sat in the chair in a daze, both the security and Scarlet swiftly took and placed both of Tifa's wrists on the metal handcuffs on the handles of the chair and bound her hands up, preventing her from leaving the chair. Tifa lifted her head to glared up at Scarlet, who also glared down at her.

"Stuck up ^%$#&#!" Scarlet hissed at Tifa before she raised her right hand to give Tifa a harsh slap on her face. After Scarlet slapped Tifa, both she and the security left Tifa sitting on the chair in the gas chamber in silence. As the security walked through the opened doorway behind Scarlet, something dropped out of a hole in his left pants pocket and fell to the floor near Tifa's feet. The security failed to notice it as he closed and sealed the door up.

As Scarlet walked out of the room and stop in her tracks to glance at all of the journalists sitting on the chairs or standing up in the room (and smiled in satisfaction at the eager looks on their faces and at the glaring looks on both Barret and Kunsel faces while hearing the security locked the door behind her). "Well now, the show's about to begin, everyone." Scarlet told the journalists before she began laughing happily.

Suddenly the sound of a loud alarm siren started blaring loudly in the room (which completely cut off the sound of Scarlet irritating laughter) and all of the emergency lights in the room began flashing their red-coloured lights out. Barret, Kunsel, Crisis, Phemie, the bizarre-looking journalist and his 2 camera people and several Shinra securities look around the room wildly and in confusion while the rest of the journalists and their cameramen glance at Scarlet with nervous/fearful looks on their faces. Before Scarlet could say anything to them, they immediately heard a computerized male voice talking loudly through a speaker hanging on the ceiling and over the sound of the alarm siren at them all.

" _Emergency! Emergency! Weapon's approaching! Attention all Junon military personnel: take your positions!"_

"Oh no! It's Weapon! Run!" yelled one of the journalists in a fearful tone of voice to the other journalists and cameramen before he swiftly stood up from the chair he's sitting on, turned to his left and quickly run through the opened double doors and out of the room. The remaining journalists and their cameramen immediately dropped their microphones and cameras, turned and run out of the room after the first journalist who run out first. Only Barret, Kunsel, Crisis, Phemie, the bizarre-looking journalist and his 2 camera people and several Shinra securities remained in the room (who's still looking around the room wildly and in confusion).

"Hey, hey, come back, all of you!" yelled Scarlet as she watched almost all of the journalists and their cameramen run fearfully out of the room with a stun look on her face before an angry look replaced the stun look on her face and she clench her hands into fists in anger. "Damn! Why now of all times?" Scarlet cursed under her breath while she lowered her head to stared down at the floor. When she lifted her head a few seconds later, she saw that the bizarre-looking journalist and his 2 camera people had approach and standing in front of her, holding his microphone out to her while his 2 camera people turned their cameras to faced her.

"So, how does it feel now, Scarlet?" the bizarre-looking journalist asked her.

"Hmmm, so you and your 2 camera assistant didn't run away?" said Scarlet, smiling in approval at the bizarre-looking journalist and his 2 camera people. "I'm quite impressed. How do I feel, you asked? Well…"

The sound of the loud alarm siren in the room completely drowned out the sound of the hissing gas which seeped out of the microphone which the bizarre-looking journalist is holding in his hand and which Scarlet failed to notice and hear. As Scarlet talk to the bizarre-looking journalist, she's suddenly overcome with a wave of dizziness and lethargy in her mind while her vision began to blurred greatly until she closed her eyes, fell and landed backward on the ground with a loud thud sound.

"Huh? What the?" said Barret in a confused tone of voice when he saw Scarlet suddenly fell and landed backward on the ground.

"Sleeping gas?" said Kunsel, as confused as Barret as well when he saw what happened to Scarlet before they look away from Scarlet's sleeping form on the ground to looked at the bizarre-looking journalist and they saw that the bizarre-looking journalist and his 2 camera people were looking at them both.

The bizarre-looking journalist, his 2 camera people and both Barret and Kunsel stared at each other for a few more seconds before the bizarre-looking journalist and his 2 camera people suddenly spun around, grabbed the suits/disguises which they're currently wearing with their hands and pulled them away. The suits/disguises fell to the ground and in the place of the bizarre-looking journalist and his 2 camera people stood Cait Sith, Nina and Carter (who's wearing their regular outfits under their suits/disguises except for Cait Sith and staring at both Barret and Kunsel with small smiles on their faces).

"Cait Sith? Nina? Carter?" said Barret, surprised to see the 3 of them.

"Weirdoes!" yelled some of the Shinra securities standing nearby Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and the unconscious/sleeping Scarlet after they saw Scarlet got knocked out by the 3 of them, fell backward to the ground and they revealed their true identities and the Shinra securities immediately charge toward Cait Sith, Nina and Carter with their assault rifles in their hands.

Both Nina and Carter instantly sprung into actions when they saw the Shinra securities came charging toward them both and Cait Sith with their assault rifles. Carter swiftly break apart the huge video camera he's holding to reveal a sword hidden safely inside it, grabbed it and he charge toward the securities to engaged them in battle while Nina pull out a taser and a long whip weapon (the one circus peoples use against lions and tigers) from within her jacket and she swiftly jabbed the taser on some of the securities stomachs (who managed to slip past Carter and charge toward her) to shocked them with electricity in her right hand while swinging the whip in her left hand before she struck them on their faces, which make them cried out in surprise and pain.

A few minutes later, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter stared down at the unconscious bodies of the securities lying on the ground around them before both Nina and Carter put their weapons back into their jacket or behind their back and the 3 of them turned and approach both Barret and Kunsel, who's staring at them with surprise/wonder looks on their faces (and never expecting that Cait Sith, Nina and Carter would be the ones to came to their and Tifa's rescue).

"Don't worry, you two!" said Cait Sith to both Barret and Kunsel while both Nina and Carter swiftly unlocked and take away the metal handcuffs from their arms (and they handed over some bullets for Barret's gun-arm and a sword for Kunsel). "We're here to help you guys and Tifa!"

"Why you 3…? Ain't you 3 part of Shinra?" said Barret while Kunsel thanked the 3 of them for coming to help.

"Uh, well…" said Nina as she lightly scratch her chin while Carter turned his head to look away from Barret.

"Let's just say that we're against capital punishment." said Cait Sith as he raised his left hand to scratch the back of his furry head nervously before he nodded his head toward the still unconscious/sleeping Scarlet. "Besides, we never like this cold-hearted broad. Now, the 4 of you go and help Tifa while I keep watch at the entrance with both Crisis and Phemie." Cait Sith told/order Barret, Kunsel, Nina and Carter (who nodded to Cait Sith).

"What? Both Crisis and Phemie are with you guys as well?" Kunsel asked Cait Sith in a surprise tone of voice while Barret turned his head to glance at the entrance and saw both Crisis and Phemie standing near the entrance (while some unconscious bodies of securities lying on the ground near them both after they knocked them out together).

"Yes, they both are. Now hurry!" said Cait Sith with a quick nod of his head before he hopped past Barret, Kunsel, Nina and Carter toward the entrance and stand guard near it with both Crisis and Phemie. Barret, Kunsel, Nina and Carter immediately run past the unconscious/sleeping Scarlet toward the sealed up gas chamber door and Barret grabbed the door handle with his right hand and pull on it hard. But the door didn't even budge or rattle from his hard pulling.

"It won't open up!" Barret told Kunsel, Nina and Carter.

"Move aside, Barret! Let me try to break it open with my sword!" said Kunsel as he pull his sword out from his back and approach the door after Barret move away from it.

"Let me help too!" added Carter as he pull his sword out and joined Kunsel. The both of them raised their swords and swung them down on the gas chamber door. Both of their swords collide against the door with a loud bang sound but to their dismay, the door didn't break down from the duo force of their swords.

"It didn't work!" said Nina in a dismay tone of voice to both Kunsel and Carter.

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Heidegger rushed through the entrance into the main control room and run past the long tables with computers on them toward President Rufus, who's standing and looking through the huge middle glass wall that was the front of one of Shinra headquarters in Junon at the huge, clear, deep and tranquil orange-coloured ocean. Right now the there's not a single ripple on the surface of the ocean water but appearances can be deceiving and one of the Weapons is approaching Junon swiftly.

"It's one of the Weapons, president." Heidegger told Rufus after he reached and stand beside him.

"There's been so many attacks lately, Heidegger. Can we handle it?" Rufus asked Heidegger without turning his head to look at him.

"I believe so, president." replied Heidegger in a slightly reassuring tone of voice to Rufus. "Your orders, sir?"

"No need to ask, Heidegger." said Rufus as he raised his right hand to tucked a strand of his blonde hair behind his ear while a smirk appear on his face.

Heidegger grinned and raised his right hand to salute Rufus while 3 sailor guys approach and stopped in their tracks near Heidegger. "We'll give it a big shot from our big cannon, president." Heidegger told Rufus (who nodded without looking at him) before he turned to glance at the 3 sailor guys standing near him. "Open the cannon doors! Activate the cannon. Target: Weapon! Now!" Heidegger yelled/ordered to the 3 sailor guys, who jumped a little from his yelling/ordering before they nodded and raised their right hands to salute Heidegger then they turned to their left and swiftly run and leave the main control room to pass Heidegger's order to the other Shinra employees, securities and sailors outside of the room. Once Heidegger is satisfied that his order is being heeded and pass on to others by the 3 sailor guys who just left the room, he turned back to glance at Rufus, who's still standing and looking through the huge glass wall at the ocean.

A few minutes after the 3 sailor guys left the main control room to pass Heidegger's order to the other Shinra employees, securities and sailors, the entire city of Junon was preparing itself for the Weapon attack. Most of the Shinra securities and sailors run around the city to prepared its defences and weapons while others helped and evacuated the worried citizens from their homes and shops and far away from the attack. Huge metallic shutter plates rose up from the ground in front of the shop buildings toward the giant hooks above it and the giant hooks grabbed and held the huge shutter plates in place to protect the shop buildings while one segment of the main road was pulled backward, slide underneath one of the shop buildings to reveal a hidden cannon inside it. The hidden cannon rose out from the huge hole, swiveled its long metal barrel left and right until it settle and position its long metal barrel at the ocean ahead.

After the hidden cannon rose up from the huge hole and settle/position its long metal barrel at the ocean ahead, two of the powerful steel pistons which is built below another cannon (which is much larger and longer than the hidden cannon and which is built into the front of one of the Shinra headquarters and made up the majority of the upper level city of Junon) heaved and groaned a little as they strained to held up and turned the huge cannon so that it would faced the ocean as well while several huge switches on the huge and long metal barrel of the huge cannon turned and lowered themselves on the huge cannon, marking the huge cannon ready for battle.

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"All battle preparations complete, sir!" announced a sailor to Heidegger after he run into the room and stopped in his tracks near him.

Heidegger turned his head to glance at the sailor and nodded to him before he turned to glance back at the ocean through the huge glass wall and raised his left arm. "The cannon… Fire-!" yelled Heidegger before he swiftly lowered his left arm as the signal to fire the huge cannon.

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The huge cannon immediately open fire and release a huge burning projectile of pure mako energy which moved rapidly forward then downward far toward the ocean until it struck the ocean with a loud explosion and splashing sound. Several shockwaves causes by the explosion spread out from deep within the ocean for a few seconds until the shockwaves on the surface of the ocean calm down and disappear beneath the surface.

Inside the main control room in Junon, Heidegger, Rufus and the sailor guy stay silent while they stared through the huge glass wall at the ocean water.

Outside on the docks and upper level city of Junon, all of the Shinra securities and sailors who's stationed there had ceased their movements and stared in silence at the ocean water for any sign/presence of the Weapon, but the ocean water still remained as calm and silent as ever.

XXXX

"Did we get 'em?" Rufus asked Heidegger as he turned his head to glance at him.

"Seems so…" replied Heidegger as he slowly turned his head to glance at Rufus and gave him a small nod. Suddenly the sirens sounded loudly on the walls in the main control room and both Rufus and Heidegger jumped a little before they raised their head to glance around the room.

" _Warning! Weapon approaching!"_ announced a computerized male voice from one of the speaker on the wall near one of the alarm sirens.

"Speed increase by 50 knots!" yelled one of the sailors in his console from outside Junon.

"It's heading swiftly toward us!" yelled one of the securities in his console from outside Junon as well.

"It can't be!" said Heidegger as he shake his head in disbelief. "The huge cannon hit it dead on!"

"How about the huge cannon?" asked Rufus as he turned his glance away from the ocean water to glance at Heidegger.

"It'll take time to reload it, president." replied Heidegger in a reproachful tone of voice to Rufus.

"Then use every regular fire powers Junon have to buy some time to fight against Weapon for it to reload completely!" Rufus told Heidegger in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Yes sir!" said Heidegger as he nodded his head to Rufus before he turned to glance at the small group of Shinra securities and sailors standing in the main control room with him and Rufus. "Open all of the artillery doors! Target: Weapon! Don't let it get near Junon!"

XXXX

Beneath the surface of the ocean water, Weapon's (which is Sapphire Weapon) huge purplish-blue coloured body and long glowing white-coloured tail swaying left and right behind it and barely visible through the surface of the ocean water swam swiftly toward Junon until it decided to let the upper part of its body (which turns out to be huge fins the size of a ship sails) broke through the surface of the ocean water (which causes several large droplets of ocean water to fall from its body and landed back into the ocean water).

When the securities and the sailors saw Sapphire Weapon approaching swiftly toward Junon, they raised their own bazooka weapons and open fire at the Sapphire Weapon while other cannons above and around them in Junon opened fire at the Sapphire Weapon as well. The relentless firing of the cannons make the ground under the feets of the securities and sailors shake a little and pretty soon the city is filled with the sight of fires and the slightly deafening sounds of the firing cannons.

But even with the dozens of bazookas and cannons being opened fire directly toward it and struck its fins and huge body (while also turned the ocean water around the Sapphire Weapon into a churning mass of bubbles and splashes), Weapon is unfazed by the attack of bazookas and cannons and continue its swift approach toward Junon.

XXXX

"Speed increase by 70 knots!" yelled one sailor through the speaker in the main control room from outside.

"Weapon, closing in!" yelled another sailor.

"Not good! It's attacking now!" yelled a third sailor.

Both Rufus and Heidegger stared through the huge glass wall at the approaching Sapphire Weapon with worried looks on their faces before they turned around and run out of the main control room.

XXXX

The cannons from the upper level city of Junon and the bazookas which all of the Shinra securities is still holding in their hands continue their constant firing at the Sapphire Weapon. But Sapphire Weapon is still unfazed by the constant firing of the bazookas and cannons which struck its fins, body and the ocean water around it as it continue to swam swiftly toward Junon. As all of the Shinra securities and sailors standing on the upper level city of Junon saw Sapphire Weapon swam closer and faster to Junon without stopping, they immediately dropped their bazookas, stood up and turned around to fled for their lives. One young security tripped over one of the bazookas and fell face down onto the ground when he run for his lives with the others and didn't get back up in fear.

Sapphire Weapon finally reached Junon and slammed itself head first in front of the city. The huge slamming impact of the Sapphire Weapon against the front of Junon city causes the city to shake vigorously beneath the huge cannon while a huge wave of ocean water rose up and fell down onto the upper and lower levels of Junon, splashing and drenching the villages living below Junon city and some of the Shinra securities and sailors on the upper level of the city. After Sapphire Weapon slammed itself head-first in front of the city, it lowered its huge body and long glowing tail downward under the surface of the ocean and disappear from sight.


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59: Attack of Sapphire Weapon, part 2**

As the entire city of Junon shook violently from the strong force of the Sapphire Weapon crashing itself head first against it, the gas chamber room where Tifa is still locked up in also shook violently. Tifa heard the sounds of the loud alarm sirens and the faint sound of the bazookas and cannons firing and striking Sapphire Weapon from outside the room but she had no idea whether Junon is winning or losing against Sapphire Weapon. Just as she's about to turn her head to the sealed up door of the gas chamber to demand some answers, she heard several hissing sounds coming from the pipe holes around her and smell the deadly scent of poisonous gas.

"Gas!" said Tifa with a terrified look on her face before she turn her head to glance at the door for the second time. "Barret, Kunsel, help!"

"Hold your breath, Tifa!" Barret's muffled voice told her through the door. "Hold on as long as you can!"

"We'll get you out of there soon!" Kunsel's muffled voice told her through the door as well.

Tifa take up Barret's suggestion, turn her head away from the door and the pipe holes, take a deep breath to take in as much clear oxygen as she could get before the poisonous gas consumed it and held it deep within her lungs. But even so, Tifa could still feel the pipes blowing the poisonous gas at her face and around her and she struggle to free her hands from the metal handcuffs on the handles of the chair, kicked her legs out while also feeling her lungs began to burn with the need for more air. "Hurry, Barret, Kunsel!" Tifa yelled at them through the door. "I can't hold my breath forever!"

XXXX

Outside, both Kunsel and Carter try to use their swords to break the door down to saved Tifa and when they failed to do so, Barret roughly push them both away, placed his right hand and gun-arm on the handle of the door to try to pull it open with every ounce of strength he had, but the door refused to budge or open at all.

"Shi-!" Barret cursed angrily at the door before he raised his right hand to give the door a harsh and hard punch (which make him winced in pain a little). He then turned away from the closed door to glared at Kunsel, Carter and Nina, who glance at him with worry/despair looks on their faces before all 4 of them run away from the door, past Scarlet and toward Cait Sith (who had a thoughtful look on his furry face), Phemie and Crisis, who's still waiting for them near the entrance of the room.

"We can't open it, Cait Sith." Nina told Cait Sith in a worry tone of voice while she gestured at the closed door behind them with a tilt of her head.

"The Gas Room's probably locked from a different room!" Barret told Cait Sith.

Cait Sith nodded his head absently at both Nina and Barret's words while he ponder deeply about something for a few seconds before he quickly sat up straighter and glance at all of them. "Hmmm, we gotta go with a different plan then. We should get out of this room first." said Cait Sith.

"What about Tifa? You want us to just leave her in that room?" said Kunsel as he scowled at Cait Sith.

"We'll help her, Kunsel." said Cait Sith. "But we have to get out of this room first."

"Cait Sith's right, Kunsel." said Phemie. "Let's leave this room."

Barret glared at Cait Sith, Nina, Carter, Phemie and Crisis suspiciously, not trusting them completely just yet. After a few seconds of thinking, Barret turned around to glance back at the gas chamber door and yelled out to Tifa. "Try to hold on as long as you can, Tifa! We'll help you, I promised!" After Barret's done telling Tifa, he then turned back to glance at Cait Sith and saw that Cait Sith's already turned around and went through the open double doors, with Nina, Carter, Phemie, Crisis and Kunsel following right behind him. Barret swiftly run after them through the double doors and just after all 6 of them run through the double doors and entered the corridor outside, the double doors behind them suddenly activated to life, swung itself shut and locked itself with a loud clicking sound. Barret immediately turned around when he heard the doors shut and locked itself up (while the others had shock looks on their faces), run toward the now closed/locked up double doors, took hold of the handles of the doors and try to open it with his strength. But just like with the gas chamber door, the double doors were locked tight and wouldn't budge open from his strength.

"No, dammit! They locked this door too!" yelled Barret while he turned his head to glared accusingly at Cait Sith, who turned his head to look away from Barret.

From the other side of the closed/locked up double doors, they could hear the familiar, annoying and cackling laughter of Scarlet.

"You fools!" said Scarlet in a smug tone of voice to them. "Now, none of you can save the girl. And as for you 2, Crisis and Phemie! Don't you 2 think that I won't report both of your traitorous actions and decisions to Heidegger!"

"Go right ahead then, Scarlet!" Phemie retorted back to Scarlet through the doors. "The both of us had enough of Shinra company anyway!" After Phemie's done telling Scarlet off, she turned her head to glance at Crisis with a sad look on her face. "Crisis, are you sure in your decision to leave the Turks and your twin brother, Reno, with me?" Phemie asked him.

"Yes, Phemie. I'm very sure and I don't regret my decision to leave the Turks and my brother with you because I love you." replied Crisis as he smiled and hold out his right hand to her.

Phemie smiled back at him before she placed her hand in his. Both Nina and Carter rolled their eyes at both Crisis and Phemie display of love and affection for each other during a really bad time while Barret, Kunsel and Cait Sith completely ignored them.

"Goddammit!" Barret cursed fiercely as he turned to look away from Cait Sith back to the closed double doors, clench his hand into a tight fist, raised and slammed it hard against the closed double doors. " _How could I let this happen to Tifa? And where the hell is Cloud, Angelina and Laina when we needed them the most right now? How could those 3 be so heartless and leave us at the mercy of Shinra company?"_ thought Barret in anger at himself and at Cloud, Angelina and Laina, wherever they are.

"OK, OK, time for plan B now." said Cait Sith in a small tone of voice to Barret, Kunsel and the others standing around him and they all glance at him. "All of us need to run to the airport now!"

"What? Why the airport?" Kunsel asked Cait Sith in an incredulous tone of voice.

"What about Tifa?" added Barret angrily at Cait Sith.

"Just trust me, you 2." said Cait Sith in a reassuring tone of voice to both Barret and Kunsel. "We gotta take a chance sometimes. Let's go, Nina, Carter, Crisis and Phemie."

"Right. Cait Sith." said Nina, Carter, Crisis and Phemie to Cait Sith before the 5 of them turned to their left and began to run quickly down the corridor, away from both Barret and Kunsel and the room.

"Come on, Barret. Let's follow after them. The more time we spend standing here and thinking about whether we should trust them or not, the more Tifa will suffer horribly in that room." Kunsel told Barret grimly.

Kunsel's grim words succeeded in helping Barret make his mind up and they quickly run away from the sealed room, down the corridor after Cait Sith, Nina, Carter, Crisis and Phemie and they managed to catch up behind them. They run until they reached the end of the corridor, turned to their right to run down another corridor, run through an open door out of Shinra building and came out on the main road near the dock. After they run out of the building and stopped intheir tracks to take a look around the place, they saw that the some Shinra securities and sailors were running around on the main road in fear/panic. And among the Shinra securities and sailors who run around the main road, Barret, Kunsel and the others saw a young short black-haired female reporter with a microphone in her right hand is standing near the dock while a short black-haired cameraman is holding a camera on his right shoulder and facing the camera at her, both of them brave enough to want to film a live TV report on Weapon's fierce attack on Junon city.

Barret, Kunsel and the others decided to ignore the securities and sailors running around them and the female reporter and male cameraman standing on the main road and began running down the road toward the airport. But just as they run nearer to the reporter and her cameraman, the reporter noticed Barret, Kunsel and the others running toward her out of the corner of her eyes and she stepped into their path, which make them ceased running.

"I know all of you are in a hurry!" said the female reporter in a familiar voice to them. "But, please if I could have a word…"

"Shu'up!" Barret growled while raising his arms angrily at the female reporter. "We're in a hurry here!"

"Kiiiiiin…" said the female reporter as she jumped back in fright from Barret's harsh words.

"Hey! What the hell's your problem! Yelling at her like that!" yelled the cameraman angrily at Barret before he lowered the camera he's holding on his shoulder down to his side. Barret, Kunsel and the others turn their heads to glance at the cameraman and they saw that the cameraman turns out to be Selwyn Rexley (after he take off his cameraman disguise and pull out his spear weapon which he hide in his camera).

"Selwyn? You're here too?" said Kunsel in a surprise tone of voice.

"Obviously!" replied Selwyn in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"Yeah, like what he just said!" the female reporter snapped at Barret sternly while glaring lightly at him (after she composed herself from his harsh yelling). "Also, it's me, ME! Yuffie!" Yuffie told Barret.

"The hell you 2 doin' here!?" demanded Barret after he, Kunsel and the others recognized both Yuffie and Selwyn.

Before either Yuffie or Selwyn could say anything to Barret, Kunsel and the others, the sound of a loud explosion suddenly boomed out which shook the city and the road under Barret, Kunsel, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter, Crisis, Phemie and Selwyn feets (except for Yuffie due to her skill as a ninja and a thief) vigorously, nearly causing them to stumble and fell down onto the road. As the shaking continue on, all 9 of them and the Shinra securities and sailors around them (who ceased their panic running) immediately saw Sapphire Weapon began to rise itself out of the ocean water. The head (which is quite small in comparison to its huge body) and the upper half of its purplish-blue coloured body rose slowly and steadily out of the water, which is slicked over and dripping down from its body back to the ocean, a long unturned triangle of hard metallic flesh partially covered the lower half of Sapphire Weapon's face while it narrowed its 2 yellow-coloured eyes menacingly on Junon city and its citizens.

"Look, Selwyn and I and the others will explain everything to you and Kunsel later!" said Yuffie in a trembling tone of voice as she looked away from Sapphire Weapon. "Now we gotta hurry and get to the airport!" Yuffie told Barret, Kunsel and the others before she take off her female reporter disguise to reveal her regular Wutai outfit and her semi-large shuriken weapon strapped to her right leg underneath it. After Yuffie's done in taking off her disguise, both she and Selwyn then followed after Barret, Kunsel and the others as they ran down the down toward the airport together (and fought/defeated some Shinra securities and Sweeper machines who got in their way).

XXXX

While Barret, Kunsel and the others were running down the road toward the airport, a glowing golden-coloured oval-shaped portal appear suddenly in a semi-dark alleyway between 2 huge Item and Materia building and Laina stepped out of the golden-coloured portal into the alleyway. After she stepped out of the portal, the portal immediately shrink itself and disappear into oblivion.

" _Finally I'm back. Thanks to Yakumo and Cloud's help."_ thought Laina in relieved in her mind before she walked swiftly forward out of the alleyway, take a look around the place she's currently at and saw that she's now standing in the upper level of Junon (and also saw dozens of Shinra securities and sailors running in fear/panic on the road and the huge ominous figure of Sapphire Weapon in the ocean in front of her with a shock look on her face).

" _Dear Gaia!"_ thought Laina in shock in her mind as she glance up at Sapphire Weapon before she lowered and turned her head to her left to look away from it and soon saw her younger sister Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel, Barret, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter, Yuffie and Selwyn running down the road past the panic/fearful securities and sailors toward the airport in the distance, all 9 of them were unaware of a group of about 30 Sweeper, Crazy saws and Metal mech machines chasing after them past the securities and sailors (probably ordered by Scarlet to hunt them down). Laina then run after the Sweeper machines chasing after her sister and her friends/companions while pulling her Geneva saber out from her back, intending to get rid of the Sweeper machines chasing after them (while remembering the time which both she and Zack had to fight against dozens of Genesis copies and machines to prevent them from getting their hands on Hollander and failed to do so years ago).

XXXX

Barret, Kunsel and the others run forward down the road until they reached the central passageway gate and Cait Sith press the switch on the wall next to the gate to open it and they quickly run through the gateway as soon as it opened up. They run through the inner gateway toward another switch on the wall next to a second gateway and Cait Sith press the other switch and they quickly run through the second gateway, run down another road toward a third gateway, press the switch on the wall next to the third gateway and they run through it after it opened up and they arrived at the airport.

Cait Sith, Nina and Carter then lead Barret, Kunsel and the others toward the huge cargo lift and Cait Sith pressed a button on the Mog-machine he's standing on to control/order it to raised its left foot to stamped down on the "On" button on the cargo lift. After it do so, the cargo lift under their feet began to shudder and rise up from the ground, carrying them up toward the upper level where the airships were docked/parked. When the lift came to a stop at the upper level, all 9 of them quickly got off the lift and ran across the metallic platform toward a large airship docked/parked near the edge of the platform at the far end of the airport and they stopped in their tracks at the bottom of the airship. Barret then take a look at the airport and the airships around them, saw no other escape paths they could take and glance at Cait Sith, Nina and Carter.

"Yo, you 3 sure that this is the right way?" Barret asked them. "It's a freaking dead end!"

Whoops." said Cait Sith meekly while both Nina and Carter scratch their chin and head in a sheepish manner, not looking at Barret. "Did we make a wrong turn while running?"

"You damn cat and your 2 useless Shinra lackeys…!" yelled Barret while he raised and shake his arms angrily at them (and Kunsel sighed and shake his head at them). "What the hell're we gonna do now? They all be comin' soon!"

Barret then turned his back to Cait Sith, Nina and Carter and put some bullets into his gun-arm quickly when he and the others heard the sound of robotic footsteps approaching them, ready to apprehend and take them back for the execution.

"Yo, better watch my back till the end… all of you!" said Barret to Kunsel and the others, who nodded their heads to him before they raised their weapons in preparation for a fight. Soon they heard the sound of the lift coming up to the upper level for the second time and they saw a group of 30 Sweepers, Crazy saws and Metal mech machines standing on the lift before the machines got off the lift and approach them. But before Barret, Kunsel and the others and the group of 30 machines could begin fighting, a series of fierce invisible sword slashes and Thundaga magic attack struck the machines from behind and from above them. The machines twitch a little from the sword slashes and the Thundaga magic attack before they broke apart and explode into charred pieces while Barret, Kunsel and the others were surprised to see the machines got destroyed by someone else before they could.

"What the?" said Barret as he glance down at all of the destroyed machines.

"Don't tell me…" said Kunsel as he lifted his head to glance away from the destroyed machines at the person standing behind them and saw that it's really Laina Donovan (who's holding her Geneva saber in her right hand and a Thundaga materia in her left hand).

"Hello, everyone." said Laina as she gave them a small smile before she put her saber back behind her, put the Thundaga materia back into her pocket and walked past the destroyed machines to approach them.

"You…" Barret began saying as he glared at Laina but he got cut off by Phemie as she began talking to her.

"Sister, is it really you?" said Phemie as she glance at Laina with a shock look on her face.

"Yes, Phemie, it's me." replied Laina.

Phemie immediately burst into tears of joy and relieved at seeing her older sister alive and standing in front of her (and the others) before she run toward Laina and swiftly enveloped her in a tight grip kind of hug. Laina smiled and hugged Phemie back while Kunsel, Crisis and the others smile at their display of sisterly love and reunion except Barret, who continue to glare at Laina in silence.

"Welcome back, sister." said Phemie in a happy/glad tone of voice to Laina.

"I'm back, Phemie. And also everyone else." replied Laina as she glance away from Phemie and glance at Barret, Kunsel and the others. "So, what did I miss in my absence?" Laina asked them and they began telling her about the events which she miss in her absence.


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60: Death of Sapphire Weapon, escaping from Junon and getting the Highwind Airship**

A few minutes after Barret, Kunsel and some of their friends/companions run swiftly out of the Shinra headquarter in Junon and heading straight down the main road of the 8th upper level of Junon toward the airport (and reunited with Laina Donovan who run behind the Shinra robots who chased after them toward the airport and got rid of them), Tifa, meanwhile, is still struggling to free both of her arms desperately from the metal handcuffs on the handles of the chair which bound her while feeling her face began to turned red and her lungs burned intensely due to their need for air (while the poisonous gas which blow out of the pipe holes around her is rapidly filling up and consuming the remaining oxygen left in the room).

" _I can't wait for Barret, Kunsel and the others to come and save me any longer. If I don't do something to save myself quickly now, I'll die a slow and excruciating death inside this horrible poisonous gas chamber, like what that terrible, cold-hearted woman told me."_ thought Tifa to herself before she take a desperate look around the room, scanning the walls and floor around her, trying to find or see anything that could possibly help her out and her eyes landed on a single key lying on the floor a few feet near the base of the chair and her legs.

" _I hope that the key lying on the floor is the key that could unlock the metal handcuffs which bound my arms on the handle of the chair."_ thought Tifa to herself for the second time before she stretched her left foot out toward it, hoping to grab and pull the key closer to her and was unable to reach it. She then slid her lower body off the chair and stretched her left foot out toward it for the second time and managed to grab and pull the key toward her, sat herself back onto the chair, positioned both of her feets on both side of the key to attempt to lifted the key up toward her face with both of her feets and she managed to get the key from her feets with her teeth.

Once Tifa managed to get the key from her feets with her teeth, she manoeuvred the key in her mouth until the pointed edge of it is pointed down and she lowered her head down to the metal handcuff binding her right arm. She placed the key into the lock and twisted her head a little until the key turned in the lock and causing the metal handcuff binding her right arm to open with a click sound. After the metal handcuff is open and Tifa pull her right arm free from it, she take the key away from her teeth with her right hand to quickly unlocked the other metal handcuff binding her left hand and quickly got up from the chair as soon as it clicked open.

After Tifa finally free both of her arms from the metal handcuffs on the handles of the chair and got up from it, she quickly covered her mouth with her gloved hands and exhaled slowly, releasing the pent up air in her lungs before she inhaled some clear air slowly through her gloves into her mouth. She then take another quick look around the room to find a way to stop the poisonous gas from blowing out of the pipe holes near the empty chair behind her and her eyes fell on 2 large white-coloured buttons in the room, one on the wall near the right side of the chair while the other one on the wall next to the gas chamber door. " _Which buttons stops the gas from blowing…?"_ thought Tifa to herself before she decided to approach the button on the wall near the right side of the chair and pressed it. Soon after she pressed the button, the sound of the poisonous gas blowing out of the pipe holes ceased their blowing and stopped completely, which causes a relieved look to appear on Tifa's face. After Tifa's stopped the poisonous gas, she went toward the gas chamber door, placed her hands on the door handle and try to pulled it open to no avail.

"Open it-…" grunted Tifa as she continue to try to pull the sealed door open until her body sagged/weaken a little due to lack of clear air. Just as she's about to give up and let the remaining poisonous gas in the room do their job in killing her off, she felt the room shake violently around her and nearly make her fall down to the floor.

XXXX

Meanwhile, Sapphire Weapon continued to glared at Junon city with contempt/hatred in its yellow coloured eyes before it lowered the large sapphire shield that covered the lower half of its face to reveal a large gaping mouth filled with jagged bits of metallic sapphire flesh instead of teeth. Sapphire Weapon lifted its head up and away from its shield, opened its gaping mouth a little wider, position its gaping mouth on Junon and a faint glow of light began to formed deep inside Sapphire Weapon's gaping mouth. The glow of light inside Sapphire Weapon's mouth grew brighter and brighter until Sapphire Weapon thrust its head forward and a narrow beam of bluish-white coloured energy shot out of its mouth and struck on the outer wall of Junon's main control tower, causing a long jagged gash/hole to appear on it.

After that first energy beam attack on Junon's main control tower, a second bluish-white coloured light from inside Sapphire Weapon's gaping mouth began to glow brightly for the second time. Sapphire Weapon slightly tilted its head to its right, narrowed its yellow-coloured eyes at Junon a little before it drew its head and upper body back in preparation to launch its second energy beam attack. But before it could fired its energy beam at Junon, the huge mako cannon in front of Sapphire Weapon suddenly open fire and struck Sapphire Weapon right in its face, blasting its face and head into pieces and off its huge upper-half Sapphire body, causing Sapphire Weapon body to be forced backward while thick, dark grey-coloured smoke rose out from the place where its head used to be and dozens of Sapphire shards fell from its body down into the ocean. Sapphire Weapon two large arms lowered lifelessly to both of its sides before Sapphire Weapon headless body fell headfirst and sank into the ocean and it completely disappear beneath the surface.

XXXX

The poisonous gas seeped swiftly out of the gas chamber room and through the long jagged gash/hole caused by Sapphire Weapon energy beam attack and got replaced by the fresh taste of the ocean air, which mingled with the smell of oil and burning metal as it flowed through the jagged gash/hole into the room. Tifa turned away from the sealed door, lifted her head to glance up at the jagged gash/hole on the ceiling above her (which is just within easy reach above her) while taking several huge gulps of the fresh ocean air seeping through the jagged gash/hole and felt the pain in her lungs slowly ease down.

"What d'you do in there?" yelled Scarlet slightly frighten then angry tone of voice suddenly at Tifa through the sealed door before Tifa heard the sound of Scarlet pounding on the door with her hands. "Hey! Open the door!"

Tifa turned around and glared darkly at the sound of Scarlet pounding on the door from outside. "First you lock me inside this room to kill me, and now you're telling me to come out? Make up your mind!" said Tifa in an annoyed/angry tone of voice to Scarlet before she quickly turned away from the sealed door (which Scarlet is still pounding on with her hands), not wanting to wait for them to open the sealed door and let herself be capture once again by Scarlet and her Shinra lackeys. Tifa make her way toward the wall at the bottom of the jagged gash/hole, climbed up the wall toward the jagged gash/hole, pull herself through the jagged gash/hole out of the gas chamber and find herself outside on Junon's main control tower.

Tifa glance around her for a few seconds (while a strong wind blow past her entire body and blowing her long black hair up and around her) before she slid herself down and away from the jagged gash/hole until she stands on a jutting out ridge and make her way slowly across the outer side of the tower (while trying not to look down). Once Tifa reached and stopped in her tracks at the edge of the ridge, she sank to her knees, turned around to face the wall behind her and she pushed and slide herself off the ridge and down onto the curved outer wall of the tower carefully. Luckily for her, the outer wall of the tower is rough enough for her to pressed her fighter gloves and boots firmly against the wall to prevent her from falling to her painful death toward the city below her (while from above her, Scarlet is standing on the edge of the jagged gash/hole and glaring down at Tifa before she fiercely ordered the Shinra securities standing with her to climbed down and pursued Tifa).

Once Tifa reached the bottom of the curved outer wall which joined with the heavy machinery that held up the huge mako cannon in place, she turned, jumped and landed on the machine (which hummed under her feet) before she quickly run away from the curved outer wall, scrambling over the rises and falls and jumping over the joints and pipes on the machine toward the barrel in front of her and she jumped over the barrel when she reached it and kept on running until she stopped in her tracks at the far end of the cannon shaft. Tifa glance at the sky above her and at the ocean below the cannon shaft which she's now standing on and realised a little too late that she had lead herself toward a path with nowhere else for her to run on. Before Tifa could turned around to try to find another way out of her current dilemma and away from Scarlet and her Shinra lackeys, she heard Scarlet's annoying voice talking smugly to her from behind.

"Our little game of chasing and running and also of hide and seek ends here, girl."

Tifa let out a small sigh of dismay and slowly turned herself around to glance at Scarlet as Scarlet walked slowly down the cannon shaft with her left hand on her hip, a smug look and a thin, wide smug smile on her face (while 2 Shinra securities followed a few feet behind Scarlet) before she stopped in her tracks a few feet in front of Tifa.

"The execution may have been unsuccessful," Scarlet began saying to Tifa in a smooth and callous tone of voice while she raised her right hand to flicked some strands of her blonde hair back behind her right ear. "but your death by falling down from this cannon and crashing into the ocean water below might be pretty interesting."

Tifa decided to turned her head away to her left, not paying any attention to what Scarlet is saying to her while she put both of her arms behind her back and raised her right boot to rubbed against the back of her left leg. Scarlet's face turned dark with annoyance when she saw that Tifa isn't paying any attention to her and she approach Tifa while raising and drew back her left hand to slapped Tifa hard across her left face. Tifa winced in pain from Scarlet's slap and nearly lose her balance, holding her cheek with her gloved hand.

"Stuck up to the end!" Scarlet hissed at Tifa.

"Quit slapping me! You old wench!" Tifa snarled back at Scarlet before she stood up, raised her right hand to slapped across Scarlet face hard. Scarlet winced in pain from Tifa's hard slap to her face and she scowled darkly at Tifa before she raised her left hand to slapped Tifa's face for the second time. Both Tifa and Scarlet then proceed to slap each other's faces hard for a few seconds until Tifa slapped Scarlet's face hard for the seventh time and caused Scarlet to fell to her knees on the cannon shaft.

"Gaia! I can't stand it anymore!" wailed Scarlet as she rubbed her very sore cheeks with her hands before she stood up to glance at the 2 Shinra securities standing behind her. "You two, take her away!" Scarlet ordered them both and they nodded and take a few steps forward behind her. Scarlet nodded back to them both before she turned around to glance at Tifa with the same smug look on her face. "Now it's time for you to pay up. I'll really push and drop you off this cannon if you don't settle down, girl!" Scarlet told Tifa smugly before she began to laughed smugly and loudly to herself.

" _Dammit, is getting captured by them or falling to my death toward the ocean below really my only 2 options?"_ thought Tifa to herself. Just as Tifa watched as the 2 Shinra securities came forward to grabbed hold of her, Tifa suddenly heard a male voice calling faintly to her from somewhere.

 _Run…_

" _Huh? What the?"_ thought Tifa in confusion to herself as she raised her head to glance around her, wondering and looking for where the male voice came from.

 _Run to the end of the cannon now!_

Tifa listen to the male voice, turned around and started to run swiftly and without hesitation away from Scarlet and her 2 Shinra securities toward the very end of the cannon. As she run on, she suddenly heard the whirring sound of some large and powerful machinery approaching and Tifa and also the 2 Shinra securities behind her stopped in their tracks and look in front of them with surprise/shock looks on their faces as a huge grey-coloured Shinra airship rising slowly from beneath the cannon. Painted in red-coloured paint across the upper side of the airship was the name "Highwind" with the painted picture of a long red-haired woman wearing dark red-coloured bikini next to it.

As the huge airship continue to rise slowly up past the cannon, Tifa saw Barret standing near the metallic railing on the outer deck of the airship, waving both of his arms at her and shouting for her to run. Tifa nodded to Barret and run toward the end of the cannon at the same time Barret grabbed hold of a long and sturdy rope near his left feet and threw the rope over the side of the airship and he watched as the rope fall past the cannon, stopped and swayed slightly within reach of the cannon's edge.

"What are you 2 doing? Go get her now!" Scarlet yelled angrily at her 2 Shinra securities, causing them to jumped a little at Scarlet's angry yelling and they quickly chased after Tifa, trying to get her before she could grabbed onto the swaying rope and escape.

Tifa turned her head to glance over her right shoulder, saw the 2 Shinra securities chasing and getting closer to her and she forced herself to run faster. As she run and reached the edge of the cannon, she bend her legs to jump from the edge of the cannon, hold both of her arms out to try to reach and grabbed hold of the rope but the rope swayed out of her reach and she found herself falling down. Tifa fell for a few seconds until she saw that the rope had swayed within her reach and she quickly grabbed hold of the rope firmly with her gloved hands and held onto the rope tightly, not letting it go.

Above her, Barret saw that Tifa managed to grabbed hold of the rope and he quickly pull the rope up, determined to not let go of the rope and let Tifa fall to her death. As Barret quickly pull the long rope and Tifa up to the safety of the outer deck, the airship flew swiftly away from Junon and toward the sky.

XXXX

"Are you okay, Tifa?" Barret asked Tifa after he pull her up over the railing and onto the outer deck of the airship.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Barret. Just that my cheeks hurt a bit." Tifa admitted to Barret while she rubbed her sore cheeks with her gloved hands and glance at Barret (who's standing next to her), Cait Sith, Nina and Carter (who's standing with their backs to the railing and staring at her with relieved looks on their faces). "Never mind that. What's all this about?" Tifa asked Barret as she gestured with her right hand at the huge airship they're currently standing and riding on.

Barret didn't answer Tifa's question, instead he turned his head to glance at Cait Sith (who's scratching the back of his head sheepishly), Nina and Carter (who smiled awkwardly) and Tifa copied his action and turned her head to glance at the 3 of them.

"Well, we'll tell you the details later, Tifa." said Cait Sith in a casual tone of voice to Tifa as he walked a few steps toward her and stopped in his tracks. "In any case, this Airship named "Highwind" is ours now." Cait Sith told Tifa before he turned away from her to glance at both Nina and Carter, raised and gestured with his left hand to tell them both to followed him and the 3 of them walked toward a door, open and went through it. Barret glance at the opened door which Cait Sith, Nina and Carter just went through for a few seconds before he turned and run through the opened door as well.

Tifa stared at the opened door which Barret, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter just went through for a few seconds before she went through the opened door, went down a metallic staircase leading into the airship (and quickly covered her nose and mouth with her right gloved hand when she smell the choking smell of oil and heavy machinery and heard the slightly loud sounds of the engine whirring and humming inside the airship), walk across the metallic floor toward another staircase to her left, went down the second staircase and as she walked away from the staircase toward a long, sturdy metallic bridge to her left, she saw both Barret and Cait Sith were standing and talking in the middle of the bridge.

"Dammit! Why didn't ya or your 2 Shinra lackeys told me and that soldier guy earlier that you know someone who could fly this airship!?" Barret yelled angrily at Cait Sith over the loud sounds of the engine whirring/humming around them before he slowly shook his head and turned to look away from Cait Sith. "Both the soldier guy and I thought that… Tifa was gone for good when we leave her behind."

"Sorry about that, Barret." said Cait Sith to Barret in an apologetic tone of voice while he raised his hand to scratch the back of his head for the second time. "But me and my 2 assistants had to do something to trick the enemy. Now come on! Everyone is waiting!" Cait Sith told Barret before he turned to his left, hopped away from Barret down the bridge then up another staircase in front of him and out of Barret's sight. Barret turned and followed after him soon after, not noticing Tifa standing at the end of the bridge.

"Everyone? Everyone is here?" said Tifa in a joyful/glad tone of voice to herself before she ran across the bridge toward the staircase, run up the staircase, went through an opened doorway and stopped in her tracks when she saw that she's now standing inside the deck of the airship. She take a look at the people standing on various different corners on the deck around her and felt her heart dropped a little when she saw that not everyone is here. She saw Barret, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter standing at the front of the deck, saw Laina standing with Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel, Vincent and Red XIII on the far right side of the deck and also saw Selwyn (who was watching Yuffie warily to make sure that she didn't get any of his materia) standing with Yuffie (who had a pale and sick look on her face) on the far left side of the deck. All of them look up at her with concern and relieved looks on their faces as she ran onto the deck.

Tifa then saw Cid running toward her away from the airship's helm (after he gave a harsh lecture at a young, short black haired pilot guy wearing a Shinra pilot uniform), stopped in his tracks a few feet in front of her and gestured to the deck around him with his left arm. "Welcome aboard to my amazing airship- the Highwind!" Cid announced proudly to Tifa.

Tifa didn't say anything to Cid as she slowly walked forward past him and stopped in her tracks at the centre of the deck. She turned her head left then right to look at the deck and her friends/companions around her without any enthusiasm until she look at the spot at the front of the deck and near where Barret is standing and a sad/depressed look appear on her face.

"Hey! What's wrong!?" said Cid in a harsh tone of voice to Tifa when he saw the sad/depressed look on her face. "Shouldn't you be getting excited about this?"

"Cid…" said Red XIII softly to Cid while he slowly shake his head.

"You should know better, Cid." said Laina as she glared lightly at him.

Cid turned to glance at both Red XIII and Laina for a few seconds, wondering why they both act like that and lightly told him off then his eyes widened a little when he finally realised what Red XIII and Laina is saying to him and he raised his right hand to scratch the back of his head in an awkward manner. "Oh, yeah…" said Cid in an apologetic tone of voice to Tifa.

"Not enough crew." said Tifa quietly to herself as she take a final look at the deck and her friends/companions around her (and thinking about 2 of her certain childhood friends standing on the deck with her and the others) before she lowered her head to stared down at the deck floor.

"Hey, why are you looking all sad and depressed for, Tifa?" said Barret when he saw the sad/depressed look on her face.

" _Geez, another person asking another stupid question to Tifa._ " thought Selwyn as he crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at Barret.

"Barret, not you too!" said Laina as she glared at Barret (who glared back at her before he lapsed into silence and didn't say anymore words).

"Tifa, do you think that all of us aren't strong enough without either Cloud or Angelina?" Red XIII decided to asked Tifa as he turned to glance at her and she lifted her head to glance back at him. "I mean, I know that we've Laina Donovan back with us again and we've 2 more former Turks members joining our group now but do you think that we can't save the Planet alone without those two?"

Tifa sighed and lifted her head to glance away from Red XIII up at the huge meteor in the orange-coloured sky while Barret turned and approach Tifa and stopped in his tracks a few feet to her left while Phemie, Crisis and Kunsel gave her sad/pity looks. "Meteor is approaching, and several huge Weapon monsters is going on a rampage in different places around the Planet… At a terrible time like this, I don't know what I'm supposed to do now… Absolutely no idea at all…"

"Come on, Tifa. Don't succumb yourself so easily into sadness and depression, especially at a terrible time like this." said Laina in a reassuring and consoling tone of voice to her.

"She's right, Tifa! Get a hold of yourself!" said Barret as he glance at Tifa (and nodded his head in agreement at Laina while Cid suddenly run past behind Barret to lecture the pilot standing on the right side of the airship). "C'mon, let's think about this! There's no way all of us can get offa this train we're on!"

"… If only either Cloud or Angelina was here with us, then maybe everything would be alright." said Tifa in a soft yet still sad tone of voice loud enough for her friends/companions to hear before she turned around to glance at Barret. "Cloud would… stand that cocky little way of his and tell us what to do next while Angelina would smile and help us out in any way she can. Cloud would also say this words to me and Angelina, "Everything's under control, Tifa and Angie." Tifa ceased talking and turned to look away from Barret.

"Tifa! When'd you become such a wimp!" Barret snapped at her.

"Hey! Stop snapping at her!" Selwyn snapped at Barret.

"You be quiet!" Barret snapped at Selwyn.

"Will the both of you stop snapping at each other and be quiet already!" Laina snapped at both Barret and Selwyn, who turned their heads to glared at her and lapsed into silence a few seconds later.

"I'm sorry for being this sad and depressed in this terrible time, Barret. And also, I'm sorry that my sad/depressed mood got you, Selwyn and Laina to snapped at each other." said Tifa in an apologetic tone of voice to Barret, Selwyn and Laina.

Barret sighed when he saw and heard Tifa apologizing to him, Selwyn and Laina before he apologized to her, Selwyn and Laina then he turned around, run back toward the front of the deck and stopped in his tracks to stand there and look out the window at the scenery outside while both Selwyn and Laina nodded and accepted both Barret and her apology (and also apologized to Barret and to each other for their snapping attitude).

"And Tifa…" Red XIII began saying to Tifa and she turned to glance at him. "the reason why we all thought it was both Cloud and Angelina was because…"

"…I know, Red XIII." said Tifa with a nod of her head, cutting off Red XIII words. "That's why I want to make sure about it. That's why I have to find and see them both again."

" _That's the spirit, Tifa."_ thought Laina happily in her mind.

After Tifa's done talking to Red XIII, she turned to her right to approach Cid (who's done lecturing at the poor pilot) at the same time he turned around to glance at her while he blew a small puff of smoke out from the cigarette in his mouth. "I want you to know that I don't dislike either of them." Cid began saying to Tifa before she could say anything to him first. "I mean, I gotta admit that they were both kinda strange. Just when some of us thought that they were cool, they'd go and do some damn fool thing. And when you thought they were smart, they'd show how stupid and naïve they are. Everything about the both of them from their movements to their speech were kinda odd. Knowin' what I do now, I can see why they were acting that way. Well, as long as you continue to stay alive, you just might be able to see them both again someday, so cheer us, sister."

Tifa ponder deeply about what Cid told her and slowly nodded her head. "…I'll be able to see them both someday." said Tifa in a slightly confident tone of voice to Cid.

"If we can find out where they are, the Highwind'll get us there in no time." Cid told Tifa while he puff out another smoke from the cigarette in his mouth.

"…Maybe." said Red XIII to both Tifa and Cid and they turned to glance at him. "Both Cloud and Angelina is still stuck deep within the North Crater, where the huge mako water/geyser fell down into the crater and swept them both into its watery depth then the ground break apart and swallowed them and the mako water/geyser up. Buried deep in the depths of the underground…"

"Buried deep within the earth… are you talking about the Lifestream?" Tifa asked Red XIII.

Red XIII nodded his head to Tifa. "The Lifestream sometimes gushes out of the surface of the Planet from cracks in the ocean floor. I heard that such a place exist somewhere. Maybe, just maybe both Cloud and Angelina…"

Red XIII words were cut off when the Highwind airship suddenly shuddered and dropped a few feet down from the air (and nearly caused some of them to fall down on the deck floor), due to the young, short black-haired pilot carelessly operating the controls before in front of him before he gripped the joystick near the controls to try to bring the Highwind airship back to flight level. "Waaaaaah! Captain Cid!" yelled the young pilot in fear/nervousness to Cid.

"Sorry about this, Tifa. But I've gotta show this moron how to land the ship." Cid told Tifa in a slightly apologetic tone of voice before he scowled darkly at the young pilot. "Don't you worry, Tifa, it'll be done in a minute. Oh, and Tifa… No matter what your goal is, you've got to be prepared. Why don't you go to your room and get yourself ready for our operation?"

"Yeah, you're right. I'll be going now." said Tifa as she nodded her head at Cid before she turned around and leave her friends/companions standing behind in the deck of the airship.

XXXX

After Laina watched as Tifa turned around and leave the deck of the airship, she turned around and left the deck of the airship as well, with Phemie turning around and following behind her, not wanting to let her older sister out of her sight again (while both Kunsel and Crisis just watched them leave without doing or saying anything). A few minutes later, both Laina and Phemie were standing slightly near the railing on the outer deck of the airship while they glance up at the orange-coloured sky then down at the ground and ocean under the flying airship while feeling the wind blowing around them and sending some strands of their chestnut-coloured hair flying around their faces.

"Sister… will you tell me where have you gone missing to for the past 10 days?" Phemie asked Laina.

Laina turned her head to glance at Phemie for a few seconds before she look away from her and answer her question. "When I fell from this airship down toward the North Crater, I was swallowed up by the huge beam of light that burst out from it and I got sent away to another alternate dimension."

"Another alternate dimension?" said Phemie with a shocked look on her face.

"Yes, that's right, Phemie." said Laina with a small nod of her head. "After I arrived at this alternate dimension, I continue falling until I crash landed straight into a pool of clear water inside the church which belongs to Aeris and I passed out from the impact which also break my arm and some of my ribs and later on I got rescued and taken away by a kind-hearted woman named Yakumo Levy and her robot friend named Orbit."

Laina proceeded to tell Phemie the rest of her short tale about the time she spend with and getting to know more about Yakumo, her smart and cute baby daughter named Cera, Cloud and the others up until the time when both Cloud and Yakumo followed her to Nibelheim to read through some old books in the library under the Shinra mansion for any way to send her back, managed to find one and they swiftly headed toward the City of the Ancients to do it where they bade farewell and she leave to return to her own dimension. Phemie listens to her tale attentively and after Laina's done telling Phemie about her short tale, Phemie told Laina that she find her short tale hard to believe and Laina prove her wrong by taking out and showing her the picture of her standing together with both Cloud and Yakumo standing and taking a picture together in the City of the Ancients. Phemie glance at the picture which Laina is showing to her for a few seconds before she apologize to Laina for not believing her and Laina accepted her apology before the 2 of them turned and went through the door and back into the airship.


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61: Heading to Mideel and facing a terrible sight**

2 hours later, the Highwind airship reached a small village (named Mideel) which is located deep inside a huge and dense-looking forest on a three-taloned island on the far southernmost part on the Planet (after Red XIII help in telling Cid and his pilots about where the small village of Mideel is located). Once they've arrived and Cid told the pilots to stopped and landed the airship a few miles away from the forest (since it's impossible for Cid and the pilots to landed the airship near Mideel village due to the huge and troublesome density of the forest around the village), Tifa, Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Cid and Vincent got off the airship and head into the huge forest toward Mideel village (while Barret, Kunsel, Red XIII and the others decided to stay behind in the airship and wait for their return).

When Tifa, Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Cid and Vincent got out of the forest, walked down a dirt path and went through the entrance of Mideel village and take a look at the small village and the villagers walking around them, Tifa, Laina, Phemie, Crisis and Cid (except Vincent) were quite surprised to see that Mideel village and its villagers were unlike the rest of the small villages or towns which they've seen on their journey across the other continents/islands. There wasn't a single mako-powered buildings or mako reactors built anywhere in the village, each of the houses were built with thick woods and stones instead of pipes and metals like the ones they saw back in the slums under Midgar city (they also noticed that one of the house which is mostly white in colour is built at the far end of the village).

Tifa, Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Cid and Vincent look around the village and its villagers for a few more seconds before all 6 of them decided to split up and ask the villagers if they had saw or rescued any young spiky blonde-haired guy or young long brown-haired girl for the past few days (and also purchase some X-potions, Ethers and Somas from the Item shop in Mideel village). While Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Cid and Vincent were asking the villagers about 2 certain missing friends/companions of theirs and buying some helpful items, Tifa is currently walking slowly by herself until she suddenly felt something rubbing itself against her leg and she stopped in her tracks, lowered her head to look down and saw that it was a dark grey-coloured dog who's rubbing itself against her leg. The dark grey-coloured dog ceased its rubbing and lifted its head to glance up at her.

"What's the matter? Are you all alone?" Tifa asked the dog as she kneel down and gently patted the dog's head and also scratched the back of its ears. The dog whine happily at Tifa patting its head and scratching the back of its ears and it step closer to her. "You got lost, didn't you?" said Tifa in a pitying tone of voice to the dog. "Separated from the people you love and cherish dearly…? Silly thing…"

As Tifa continue to patted and scratch the dog's head and ears in silence, she felt a hand touched her right shoulder and she turned her head to glance up and saw Laina and the rest of her friends/companions standing behind her and the dog with sad/worried/concern looks on each of their faces. As Tifa was about to reassured Laina and the others that she's fine, all 6 of them soon heard the voices of 2 elderly men talking to each other nearby them.

"… Guess it's been close to 10 days now since that young man and girl washed up here from the ocean… Poor pokey-headed young man and long brown-haired girl…" said the first elderly man.

Both Tifa and Laina gasped at the same time (while Phemie, Crisis, Cid and Vincent widened their eyes in surprise/shocked) when they heard what the 2 elderly men just said out loud nearby them and they glance to their left at the 2 elderly men standing and talking outside a house.

"It was really sad for those 2 young people… but weird. Both the young guy and girl was holding onto a really long and big sword and a long naginata weapon." said the second elderly man.

"I dunno. The whole thing about those 2 young people feels unlucky to me. But the amazing things about those 2 was those weird blue eyes on the young guy and those violet eyes on the young girl…" said the first elderly man.

"Wha!?" yelled Tifa loudly (which caused both Phemie and Crisis to winced a little from her loud yelling and the 2 elderly men to ceased their talking and glance at her). "Wh… wait a minute! What did the 2 of you just said!?" Tifa asked/demanded to the 2 elderly men before she swiftly approach them and stopped in her tracks next to them. "Excuse me! Those 2 young people the 2 of you were just talking about…"

The 2 elderly men glance at Tifa then at each other with nervous looks on their faces, wondering if they should tell her about the 2 young people which they were talking about seconds ago. A few seconds later, the first elderly man make up his mind and decided to tell her (and Laina and the others standing a few feet behind Tifa) about it. "Yeah… one of our villagers found the young guy and girl a little ways down the coast… It was about 10 days ago, I think."

"Yeah, that's right." said the second elderly man as he nodded his head in agreement with the first elderly man words. "Poor kids… they must've drifted from somewhere pretty far away…"

Tifa smiled in joy/relieved and thanked both the elderly men for telling her about the 2 young people which they found and rescued before she turned to glance at Laina and the others. "Cloud! Angie! It must be them! They're both here!" said Tifa in an excited tone of voice to Laina and the others.

"Heh, good job, Tifa." said Cid as he gave her a thumbs-up.

"Yeah, you've finally found them both, Tifa." said Vincent with a small smile on his face.

"What wonderful news! Isn't it, sister?" said Phemie as she glance at Laina, smiling (while Crisis smiled as well).

"Yeah, it's wonderful news indeed, Phemie." replied Laina with a nod of her head.

Tifa widened her joy/relieved smile and look on her face a little before she turned to glance back at the 2 elderly men. "So where are they!?" Tifa asked anxiously to the 2 elderly men. "Are they safe? Where are they now…?"

The 2 elderly men glance at each other with sorrow looks on their faces (when they finally realised that Tifa and her friends/companions standing behind her were close to the 2 young people which they just talked about and Laina had a bad feeling in her heart when she saw the sorrow looks on the faces of the 2 elderly men) before one of them raised and pointed a finger at the mostly white in coloured house at the far end of the village behind him. "Yeah… up ahead behind us…" said the second elderly man to Tifa. "At the, uh, clinic…"

"Uh, Tifa, I don't think that we should…" Laina began saying to Tifa (after the second elderly man done telling Tifa about where both Cloud and Angelina were) but she completely ignored Laina's words.

"They're both alive…!" said Tifa in a joy/relieved tone of voice as she glance away from the 2 elderly men toward the clinic building at the far end of the village. "Cloud and Angie… Cloud and Angie's alive! Cloud! Angie!"

Tifa then took off running toward the clinic, completely ignoring the calls of her friends/companions behind her (while they also run after her toward the clinic as well) as her mind, heart and soul were completely focused on seeing and reuniting with her 2 childhood friends before all of them could resumed their journey in taking down Shinra company and Sephiroth together. Once Tifa reached the front door of the clinic, she swiftly opened the door and burst into the clinic room.

"Cloud!? Angie!?" said Tifa in a loud tone of voice as she frantically glance around the room (which had a table with several papers on them, a wooden shelf with several medicine bottles on it against the wall near the table, an empty bed against another wall to Tifa's right and several chairs) for any signs of them.

A tall grey-haired man wearing a long sleeve yellow-coloured shirt with a black-coloured necktie, long brown-coloured trousers, dark brown shoes and a white long sleeve lab-coat and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses on his face instantly turned around to glance at Tifa with a shocked look on his face when he heard her suddenly bursting into the room.

"Here now, young lady." said the grey-haired man in a calm tone of voice to Tifa (after he composed himself and Tifa saw that the grey-haired man is a doctor). "The way you're running around here, you'd think that Meteor just fell or something."

"I'm sorry, doctor." said Tifa in an apologetic tone of voice to the doctor while her friends/companions came into the room and stopped in their tracks behind her. "But I just heard that 2 friends of mine was being taken care of in this clinic…"

"2 friends of yours?" said the doctor as he crossed his arms and think for a moment before he nodded his head to her. "Oh yeah…! You mean those 2 young people!? Don't worry. Your friends is next door. But I'm afraid that their conditions is…"

"Next door?" said Tifa as she turned her head away from the doctor to glance at the open door that led into the next room before she nodded back to the doctor without looking. "Over here." said Tifa to herself before she turned and run through the opened door into the next room. "Cloud, Angie…!?"

After Tifa run through the opened door into the next room (while Laina followed behind her and the others watched as both Laina and Tifa went into the next room in silence), both Tifa and Laina saw a short black-haired woman wearing a nurse outfit and holding a clipboard in her left arm was standing with her back to both Tifa and Laina and staring down at the figure of a guy sitting on a chair before the nurse glance away from the guy and glance at the girl lying on the bed near the guy sitting on the chair. The nurse then turned around when she felt and heard both Tifa and Laina coming into the room and the nurse stepped away from the guy and the girl, allowing both Tifa and Laina to see them both.

"Oh… Cloud, Angie!" said Tifa in a joy/relieved tone of voice when she saw that both the guy sitting on the chair and the girl lying on the bed were indeed her 2 missing childhood friends. "I'm so glad to see that the 2 of you are safe!" Tifa slowly approach both Cloud and Angelina and she stopped in her tracks when she (and Laina) saw the dire conditions which they both currently in. "…!? Cloud, Angie…?"

Both Tifa and Laina saw that Cloud was slumped heavily on a wheelchair (which Tifa initially and wrongly assumed was a chair) with his head lowered down near his chest, both of his arms resting weakly on the handles of the wheelchair while a kind of terrible whistling/breathing sound came out of his mouth, as though his lungs were unable to inflate properly while Angelina's eyes were closed and she had an oxygen mask on her nose and mouth connected to a machine next to her which help her breath normally. Both of their skins were very deathly pale and had faint sheen of sweats on it. As Cloud slowly lifted his head up from his chest to glance up at both Tifa and Laina (who had a grim/sorrow look on her face when she saw both Cloud and Angelina were struck with the same mako poisoning illness from 2 years ago) then glance around the room blankly, both of them saw that his mako blue-coloured eyes were open wide with terror.

"Uh… aaaa…?" mumbled Cloud weakly as he continue to look around the room blankly while letting out the same deep whistling breathing before he lowered his head down near his chest again.

"Wh…What's wrong, Cloud, Angie?" said Tifa with a horrified look on her face before she took a few careful steps closer to them both. "What happened to you two…?"

"…It's mako poisoning, Tifa." said Laina in a grim/sorrow tone of voice to Tifa. "They have been struck with mako poisoning."

"What!?" said Phemie in a shocked tone of voice.

"Are you serious, Laina?" said Cid, surprised.

"She's right about that." said the doctor as he crossed his arms and nodded his head to Laina. "The both of them were quite advanced cases. It seems that both this young guy and girl have been exposed to an extremely high level of mako energy for a protracted period of time. They probably had no idea about who or where they're now… Poor youngsters, the guy's voice doesn't even work properly while the girl's in a deep coma. He's literally miles away from us while the girl's chance in waking up from her deep coma is very little. Some place far away from us where no one's ever been… All alone…"

"Doctor…!" said Tifa as she turned to glared at the doctor.

"Oh man, that's just cruel and evil." said Cid as he slowly shake his head in pity while Laina, Phemie, Crisis and Vincent didn't say anything.

Tifa glance away from the doctor to glance back at both Cloud and Angelina and she saw that Cloud had lifted his head to glance up at the ceiling blankly while the same terrible whistling/breathing came out of his mouth while Angelina is still lying on the bed with her eyes closed. Tifa then slowly fell to her knees in sorrow in front of Cloud.

"Ahem! Why don't we excuse ourselves?" said the doctor to the nurse, Laina, Phemie and the others. "Listen, would all of you mind… waiting outside?"

Phemie, Crisis, Cid and Vincent nodded to the doctor before they turned and left the clinic, both the doctor and the nurse followed behind them and left the clinic as well, except for Laina, who decided to stay in the clinic with Tifa to watched over both Cloud and Angelina.

"Why…? What do you 2 want me to do now?" said Tifa in a sorrow tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina while tears glisten and fell from her eyes and down her face. "Please, Cloud, Angie… Just snap out of your illness and coma and talk to me… Tell me that you 2 can see me, that you 2 can hear me… Tell me, please…"

"They can't, Tifa." said Laina in a grim/sorrow tone of voice to Tifa. "Right now their mako poisoning is so much worse than 2 years ago."

More tears glisten and fell from Tifa's eyes when she heard what Laina just said to her before she lowered and lay her forehead on Cloud's knees. "I came this far believing in the memories that the 3 of us had together… This can't be happening…! It's just too cruel… Why does this have to happen to the 2 of you, Cloud, Angie?"

"…Probably because it's inevitable." said Laina. "And also because we were there inside the North Crater with them both but we didn't do anything more to help them both."

A dark, angry look instantly appear on Tifa's face when she heard Laina's words and she wipe her tears away with the back of her gloved hand before she stood up and turned to glared at her. "YOU! This is ALL your fault, Laina Donovan!" Tifa yelled angrily at Laina before she approach her and raised her right gloved hand to slapped Laina's face hard (which make her winced in pain). "You should have told them both the entire truth long ago and you should have let me tell them about it but you prevented me from telling them about it! This is ALL your fault!"

Laina let out a small sigh and glance at Tifa. "I don't deny that I didn't tell them both the entire truth and you've every right to be mad at me, Tifa. But you're just as much to blame for not telling them both the entire truth as me, Tifa. Don't you forget that one time when you met and found the 3 of us near the Sector 7 train station, tell us to joined AVALANCHE and told me about your idea to watched them both closely while withholding the truth from them because you're afraid that telling them the truth will hurt them."

Tifa flinched at Laina's blunt statement before the dark, angry look on her face deepen a little. "Get out, Laina." Tifa snarled at Laina.

"What?" said Laina.

"I said get out, now! And leave me alone with my 2 childhood friends!" Tifa snarled at Laina for the second time before she grabbed hold of Laina's shoulders, pushed her through the front door and out of the clinic hard then slammed the door in front of her. Laina stared at the closed door for a few seconds before she sighed for the second time, turned around and joined up with Phemie and the others standing outside.

"What's wrong, sister?" Phemie asked Laina in a concern tone of voice when she saw the guilty/sorrow look on her face and when Tifa shoved her out of the clinic and slammed the down in front of her. "Why did Tifa shoved you out of the clinic?"

"… It's nothing, Phemie." said Laina.

Just as Phemie was about to ask her more about it, Laina raised and shake her hand at Phemie to stop her from asking anymore questions. Phemie scowled at Laina then turned to look away from her.

"Listen Doc, why don't you tell us the truth." Cid asked the doctor. "Will both Cloud and Angelina be able to recover? Will they be alright?"

The doctor turned to glance away from Cid, crossed his arms and answer his question patiently. "Like what this lady just said (the doctor tilted his head at Laina), they've mako poisoning. I've never seen cases this bad as theirs… An immense amount of Mako-drenched knowledge was put into their brains all at once… No normal human could have survived it… it's a miracle that they both did!"

"No wonder…" said Cid as he slowly shake his head. "After all they both fell into the Lifestream and was carried by the ocean current down to this place."

"But remember, the light of hope can be found anywhere." said the doctor as he glance at each member of the group. "Listen to me, all of you. If all of you give up hope… What will happen to the both of them?"

Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel, Cid and Vincent lapsed into silence as all 6 of them considered about the doctor's words in their minds. While they considered about the doctor's words, the front door of the clinic suddenly opened and Tifa walked out of the clinic. Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel, Cid, Vincent, the doctor and the nurse turned to glance at her and all 8 of them saw that Tifa try to forced a brave smile on her pale, drawn and sorrow-looking face to no avail.

"Are you okay now, Tifa?" Cid asked Tifa in a concern tone of voice.

"Yeah…" replied Tifa simply at Cid's question before she glance at each of her friends/companions, except for Laina. "I'm sorry that I had you all worried about me. And I have something that I wanted to tell you all…" Tifa told them before she turned around and walked back into the clinic.

Laina, Phemie and the others glance at each other for a few seconds before all 6 of them plus the doctor and the nurse followed behind Tifa back into the clinic and they stopped in their tracks inside the room near Tifa (who still had a sorrow yet determined look on her pale/drawn-looking face now), who's standing with her back to them near both Cloud and Angelina.

"I don't care about anything else right now, only my 2 childhood friends, Cloud and Angelina…" Tifa told them before she slowly turned around to glance at them. "I… want to be by their sides…"

"If that's your decision, Tifa, then count me in as well." said Laina as she glance at Tifa.

"No, I don't need or want you to be with them both, Laina!" said Tifa in an annoyed/angry tone of voice to Laina. "I'll be…" Tifa continue saying but got cut off by Laina raising her hand to silence her.

"I know that you cared about them both deeply because they're your childhood friends and you blamed me for not telling them both the truth, for them getting mako poisonings and causing them both to be like this because you wanted to blame someone and I don't blame you for it, Tifa." said Laina. "But they're as much my friends as they're your friends and so I'm going to stay here with you to watched over them both, whether you like it or not."

"Say what? You can't be serious, sister!" said Phemie in an incredulous tone of voice to Laina.

"I'm very serious, Phemie." said Laina in a "brook-no-argument" tone of voice to Phemie. "I'm going to stay here with Tifa to watched over them both."

"But… alright then, sister." said Phemie as she let out a small sigh of dismay when she saw the determined/serious look on Laina's face.

"Yeah, alright then." said Kunsel as he nodded his head in agreement with both Laina and Tifa's decision to watched over both Cloud and Angelina. "That's probably for the best, for now."

"Hang in there, you two." said Crisis.

"Do what you two wish." said Vincent. "Take care of those 2 and yourselves."

"Don't worry, all of you. We will." said Laina in a reassuring tone of voice to them.

Phemie, Crisis, Cid and Vincent nodded to both Laina and Tifa before they turned, walked out of the clinic, walked down the dirt path past the small houses and the villagers toward the village entrance and back toward the Highwind airship waiting for them.


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62: Eavesdrop on a conversation and planning their next move**

Once Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel, Cid and Vincent had leave both Tifa and Laina behind with both Cloud and Angelina in the clinic in Mideel village, they went straight back into the Highwind airship, went into the front deck room where Cid immediately ordered the 3 pilots to start the airship engine and take them away from Mideel village before he sat sprawled on the deck floor behind 1 of the pilots and in front of Vincent and instantly fell asleep (while Phemie, Crisis and Kunsel told the rest of their friends/companions about Cloud and Angelina's dire conditions and about Tifa and Laina's decision to stay and watched over them both which annoyed/angered them). The 3 pilots instantly heeded Cid's orders before they turned on the engine, flew the airship up from ground away from the huge forest around Mideel village before the airship turned and sped off across the ocean and away from Mideel village.

"What're we gonna do now! What can WE do?" Barret yelled angrily before he turned around and glance at each of his friends/companions. "Huh? Ain't there nothin' we can do? An' don' any of you go tellin' me or the others to wait for both Cloud and Angelina to get better." added Barret in a warning tone of voice to his friends/companions while he raised and shake his gun-arm menacingly.

"We didn't say anything about "waiting for both Cloud and Angelina to get better" to you, Barret. You say and assumed that on your own." said Selwyn in a sarcastic tone of voice to Barret (who instantly glared angrily at him while Phemie, Crisis and the others watched them both warily and in silence).

"Oh, the 3 of us have some news to tell you and everyone else, Barret." announced Cait Sith in a cheerful tone of voice suddenly to Barret and the others as he, Nina and Carter take a few steps forward and stopped in their tracks a few feet in front of Barret.

"Yeah, like what!? That you 3 are spies?" Barret sneered at them.

"Didn't we already told you and the others that we were?" said Nina to Barret as she let out a small sigh.

Cait Sith nodded in agreement at Nina's words to Barret before he turned around to glance away from Barret. "Both Gya ha ha and Kya ha ha are up to something."

"Who the hell is Gya ha ha and Kya ha ha?" asked Selwyn as he frowned at Cait Sith.

"Heidegger and Scarlet." both Nina and Carter answered Selwyn's question.

"Any of you wanna eavesdrop on their conversation?" Cait Sith asked Barret, Selwyn and the others and all of them nodded their heads in agreement to Cait Sith. Cait Sith nodded back to them before he turned his head to glance at Nina, who nodded and immediately pull a radio out of her pocket, turned the radio on then turned the volume on the radio loud enough for Barret, Selwyn and the others to eavesdrop on the conversation.

XXXX

Many miles away from where the Highwind airship is skimming above the ocean's surface after it flew away from Mideel village, an emergency meeting was currently being held in a room inside Shinracompany in Midgar. Rufus is standing (and flicking a strand of his blonde hair behind his ear) at the head of the table with his back to 3 of his top employers/directors sitting in their chairs or standing, Palmer (who had an anxious look on his pudgy face), Reeve (who's standing with his back against the wall on the far right side of the room) and Heidegger (who had a nonchalant look on his face while he tapped his fingers impatiently on the long rectangular table in front of him).

"Now then…" Rufus began saying to Palmer, Reeve and Heidegger after he turned around to glance at them. "We're currently faced with 2 very grave issues. 1: Destroy Meteor. 2: Remove the huge energy barrier around the Northern Cave and defeat Sephiroth." Rufus ceased talking and glance at them. "Any ideas?" Rufus asked them.

"Gya hah hah hah!" Heidegger laughed loudly before he began boasting/talking to Rufus. "We already solved the first problem! Meteor will soon be smashed to pieces! The plan had already been set in motion. Namely, to collect "Huge Materia" from each regions."

"Well…" said Rufus as he glance at Heidegger while he crossed his arms.

The door to the emergency meeting room opened inward and Rufus, Reeve, Heidegger and Palmer saw Scarlet walking casually into the room and stopped in her tracks at the edge of the table near Rufus.

"Huge Materia is a high density special type of materia made through a special compression process in Mako reactors." Scarlet began saying/explaining to Rufus, Reeve, Heidegger and Palmer. "The energy extracted from it is 330 times the strength and magic of normal materia." Scarlet ceased her talking/explaining to laughed happily for a few seconds before she stop laughing and resumed talking to them. "How about that!? We'll gathered all of the Huge Materia together and rammed it straight into Meteor. The impact will caused a massive explosion! Reducing Meteor literally into pieces."

"You're going to rammed all of the Huge Materia into Meteor?" Rufus asked Scarlet in a skeptical tone of voice. "Do you think that we've the technology for it?"

"Don't worry about that, president!" said Scarlet in a reassuring tone of voice to Rufus. "More importantly, we've got to collect each of the Huge Materia from each regions."

"We've already collected the Huge Materia from Nibelheim, president." said Heidegger as he glance at both Rufus and Scarlet, who also turned to glance at him. "All that's left is the 2 Huge Materia in "North Corel" and "Fort Condor". And I've already dispatched some infantrymens and robots to North Corel." Heidegger then began to laughed happily after he's done talking to both Rufus and Scarlet (while both Reeve and Palmer stay silent throughout their conversation and meeting).

XXXX

"Corel!?" yelled Barret as he raised and shake both of his arms angrily before he swiftly turned around to glance at his friends/companions (while Cait Sith told Nina to turned the radio off and she did so). "What else can they do to Corel, my old home town!?"

"And the Huge Materia which they're talking about…" said Red XIII to Barret and the others as he ponder deeply about the conversation which all of them just eavesdrop from the radio. "You mean the Huge Materia, don't you? I've heard about it. When our small materia got near the larger one, something should happen. I'm certain of it. That's why all of us are using the power of materia in our battles…"

"Can't let those goddamn Shinra scums get their hands on the Huge Materia!" growled Barret under his breath. "And besides, when Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina gets back, I wanna show them this Huge Materia, especially Cloud. He's gonna be shocked." added Barret.

"So, what're you saying, Barret?" Cait Sith asked Barret in a slightly sarcastic/smug tone of voice as he approach and stopped in his tracks in front of him. "Even though you're always mad at them and knocked them around whenever you can, the truth is that you actually cared about them and wanted them to come back, am I right?"

Barret's face turned dark with anger and slight embarrassment at what Cait Sith just said to him before he crossed his arms and turned around to look away from Cait Sith (while Phemie, Nina, Crisis, Carter, Kunsel and Selwyn chuckled and smirked at Barret's reaction). A few seconds later, he turned back to glared angrily at Cait Sith.

"I ain't sayin' nothin' about nothin', you damn robotic cat! So you just… shut your furry face!" Barret growled at Cait Sith before he glance away from Cait Sith to glance at the others. "Every group's gotta have a leader. An' that's me!" Barret told them while he raised and shake both of his arms a little.

"Oh, really?" muttered Kunsel under his breath.

"Yeah, right." muttered Selwyn under his breath.

"Or at least I wanna be…" Barret added as he lowered his arms down to his sides. "But I ain't cut out to be no leader. I never knew that till lately."

"Then why don't you at least try to be one until Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina come back to us?" suggested Nina.

Barret glance at Nina and shook his head at her suggestion before he walked forward and stopped in his tracks between both Cait Sith and Cid and turned around to glance at the front of the airship. "An' that's what is…" said Barret before he got cut off by deep snore, followed by a snort then a cough from Cid.

Barret, Cait Sith, Vincent and the rest of their friends/companions all turned and glance at Cid, who's now waking up from his slumber and opened and rubbed his sleepy eyes with his leather gloved right hand. "…Hmph?" Cid muttered before he lifted his head to glance up at Vincent, Barret, Cait Sith and the others looking down at him with annoyed and amused looks on their faces and he shake his head a little before he quickly stood up from the deck floor and turned to glance at them. "Wha? What's goin' on?" Cid asked them.

"You slept through most of our conversation, that's what's going on." Selwyn told Cid in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"You have been chosen to be the new leader." Barret told Cid before he could cursed at Selwyn.

Cid glance at Barret with an annoyed look on his face before he raised and shake his left hand at him. "Major pain in the ass. Forget it, choose someone else." said Cid to Barret.

"But for us to fight on, we gotta have Highwind, and you." said Barret in an almost casual tone of voice to Cid. "We need it to save the Planet. An' who's runnin' this ship? You! That's why you're our new leader. Ain't no one else can."

Cid ponder deeply in his mind about Barret's words as he slowly turned to glance away from him. "Hm… this airship's gonna save the Planet, huh? Ain't that gonna be just a little tough?" said Cid to Barret as he raised and tapped his head with his right hand a little before a wide grin appear and spread on his face. "Oh man, that went straight to my heart." said Cid in a slightly happy tone of voice.

"So, you'll do it? You'll be our leader?" Nina asked Cid.

"Of course, girl! I'm a man, too!" replied Cid as he nodded his head to Nina. "Okay, I'll do it! Follow me, all of you!" Cid told them.

Barret, Kunsel, Phemie, Crisis, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter, Yuffie (who had a pale/sick look on her face), Selwyn, Red XIII and Vincent nodded their heads at Cid before he swiftly run across the deck floor past all of them toward the front deck door, went through the door and went down the stairs toward the Operation meeting room in the lower left deck of the airship, with them turning around and following closely behind him toward the Operation meeting room as well.


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter 63: Getting the Huge Materia in North Corel**

A few minutes after Cid told Barret, Kunsel and the others to follow him down the stairs and across the bridge toward and went into the Operation room in the lower deck of the airship, Cid immediately consult a large world map hanging on the left-side large wall inside the room, stared at the map for a few minutes before he made up his mind and decided to tell them about his idea to split their slightly large group into 2 smaller groups. He then told them that he'll dropped the first group at North Corel (which Barret told him) to get the Huge Materia while the second group will head toward Fort Condor to get the other Huge Materia before the second group came back to picked up the first group in North Corel. Barret, Kunsel and the others glance at Cid then at each other while they contemplate about Cid's idea to split them up into 2 smaller groups to get the 2 Huge Materia in North Corel and Fort Condor for a few seconds before they slowly nodded their heads in agreement to Cid's idea. Cid smiled and nodded his head back at Barret, Kunsel and the others before all of them left the Operation room, walked across the bridge, up the stairs and back into the deck of the airship. Once they're back inside the deck of the airship, Cid make his way toward the pilot standing near 1 of the control panels on the right side of the airship and stopped in his tracks beside him.

"Shall we take off now, Captain?" the pilot asked Cid when he noticed Cid standing beside him.

"Yes, we are." replied Cid with a nod of his head to the pilot.

The pilot smiled and nodded his head to Cid before he pressed some buttons and pull the joystick on the control panel in front of him to turned the airship around toward the west and flew the airship straight toward the town of North Corel at high speed.

XXXX

 **1 hour later…**

Cid told the pilot to landed the airship down on the grassy ground near the entrance which had a long and rocky dirt path that leads up to the mountain where the Corel mako reactor is located, dropped Barret, Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent down onto the grassy ground and near the entrance before Cid wave goodbye and told them that he and the others will come back to picked them up. Barret and his 4 friends/companions nodded and wave goodbye to Cid and they watched as the airship flew up and away from them, turned around and flew off toward Fort Condor. After the airship flew away, Barret and his 4 friends/companions turned and walked through the entrance and up the long and rocky dirt path of the mountain toward the mako reactor (and they fought/killed off some Grangalan, Bagnadrana and Search Crown monsters along the way). Once Barret, Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent reached and stopped in their tracks (and catch their breath a little) on the top of the cliff, they lowered their heads to glance down at the mako reactor built within the heart of Mt. Corel and they saw 2 Shinra infantrymen armed with sub-machine guns in their arms with 2 yellow-coloured chainsaw Sweeper machines standing guard with them outside the entrance of the mako reactor. Barret then glance away from the mako reactor and the 2 infantrymen and 2 chainsaw Sweeper machines guarding the entrance to glance at Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent and they also glance at him.

"Are all of you ready?" Barret asked them.

Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent nodded their heads at him and Barret nodded his head back at them before they drew out each of their weapons and materia from within their clothes and pockets and checked them out, just in case. Both Barret and Vincent place their bullets into their gun-arm and one-handed shotgun, Phemie twirled her twin Orichalcum daggers for a few seconds then hold them firmly in her hands, Crisis place some bullets into his handgun and twirled his Electro rod for a few seconds while Kunsel swung his Rune blade around for a few seconds as well then hold his blade firmly in his hands.

"All right, then! Let's go and get 'em now!" Barret told them and all 5 of them nodded to each other for the third time before they began to charge down the metallic bridge toward the entrance and the 2 infantrymen and 2 chainsaw Sweeper machines standing guard outside. The 2 infantrymen were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of 5 well-armed people coming their way and before they could raised their sub-machine guns to opened fire on them, both Barret and Vincent immediately fired some bullets at the 2 infantrymen hands, causing the 2 infantrymen to cry out in pain and dropped their sub-machine guns to the ground before both Barret and Vincent raised their gun-arm and shotgun to knocked down on their heads hard and they fell face-down onto the ground. As both Barret and Vincent knocked out the 2 infantrymen, Crisis, Phemie and Kunsel fight against the 2 chainsaw Sweeper machines (and quickly dodged away from the chainsaw swinging at them by the 2 Sweeper machines) until they cut and shoot them down with their daggers, handgun and blade. After all 5 of them are done in taking down the 2 infantrymen and the 2 chainsaw Sweeper machines (and both Crisis and Phemie quickly pull the 2 infantrymen away from the entrance and put them down on the right side of the reactor), they then glance around the area for any signs of Shinra infantrymen or robots and didn't see any.

"Now that we got them out of the way, let's head into the reactor and get the Huge Materia." said Barret as he glance at Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent.

But right after Barret talked to Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent, they immediately heard the sound of a loud blaring horn coming from inside the reactor (which make them froze for a few seconds) and when they glance through the entrance into the reactor within, they saw a coal train speeding swiftly toward them and the entrance from inside the reactor. Barret, Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent quickly turned and scrambled left and right out of the way of the entrance to avoid getting knocked and run over by the train and they watched helplessly as the train speed out of the reactor, across the railway tracks and forward into the mountains.

"We're a little too late!" said Crisis in a grim tone of voice to Barret, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent. "They're taking off with the Huge Materia inside that train!"

"NO!" yelled Barret as he raised and shake his hands angrily. "YOU damn Shinra boneheads!"

"What are we going to do now, Crisis?" asked Phemie as she glance at Crisis, who glance back at her with a grim look on his face.

"No way! We're not letting them get away with the Huge Materia that easily!" said Kunsel as he glance at them. "Come on, let's see if there's another train for us inside the reactor to ride on and chase after that train!" Kunsel told them and they nodded their heads in agreement with him before they run into the reactor in search of another train and they smiled in relieved when they saw and found another smaller train (which was unmanned/unguarded and is still in good working order after not being used for many years). Kunsel swiftly get on the train and stood in front of the controls (while Barret, Phemie, Crisis and Vincent get on the train and stand behind him), turned the train engine on and soon the second train speed out of the reactor, across the railway tracks in pursue of the first train.

"Well done, Kunsel." said Vincent in an approving tone of voice to Kunsel. "I didn't know that you can drive this train."

"Yeah, neither do I, Crisis and Barret." said Phemie.

"…Actually, this is the first time I'm driving this train." Kunsel admitted to them.

"What!?" said Barret as an alarmed look appear on his face.

"Are you serious!? This is the first time for you?" said Crisis in a shocked tone of voice before he quickly pull Phemie close to him.

"Don't worry, you guys!" said Kunsel in a reassuring tone of voice to them as he glance down at the 2 lever sticks in front of him and grasps the levers firmly in his hands. "I'm sure that it'll be a piece of cake for me to know and handle soon enough! Now, let me see, 2 levers, 1 on the right and 1 on the left…" said Kunsel to himself before he pull the 2 levers up and down for a few seconds and he (and the others standing nervously behind him) felt the train shudder a little then move forward a little faster.

" _Now I get it. I just need to alternately pull the 2 levers up and down, huh? And judging from the speed of the enemy's train, we'll probably catch up to them in about 10 minutes._ " thought Kunsel to himself before he glance over his left shoulder at the others standing behind him and smiled at them. "Hang on, all of you! I'm gonna speed this train up!" Kunsel told them and they quickly braced themselves on the train before Kunsel swiftly and alternately pull the 2 levers up and down in front of him to catch up to the first train. A few seconds later, the smaller train which Kunsel and the others is driving/riding on managed to catch up to the rear end of the first train.

"Alright, we finally catch up to them!" Kunsel told Barret, Crisis, Phemie and Vincent. "Now we're going to jumped from this train toward the back end of the other train!"

Barret, Crisis, Phemie and Vincent nodded in agreement to him before they jumped one by one across the gap between the 2 speeding trains and landed on their hands and knees on the black coal rocks (which almost filled up inside the empty rear end of the first train), which skittered and slid when they landed on it and which covered/dirtied their clothes, hands and shoes with black soot now. After Barret, Crisis, Phemie and Vincent jumped from the second train and landed on the rear end of the first train, Kunsel let go of the 2 levers he's holding, turned and quickly jumped from the second train and landed on the rear end of the first train and joined up with the others as well (while the second train which Kunsel and the others drove/ride on started to slow down and slipped behind them since no one's driving it).

After Barret, Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent jumped from the second train and landed on the rear end of the first train, they quickly stood up, pull their weapons out, turned to their front and began jumping from one train car to another toward the front of the first train (and they fought/killed off some Gas Ducters, Wolfmeister and Eagle Gun robots that came out of the train cars to stopped them along the way) until they finally reached the front of the first train and saw that only 1 Shinra infantryman is standing and driving alone in the front of the first train. Both Barret and Kunsel then jumped down from the top of the train car (while Crisis, Phemie and Vincent stay on top of the train car to steady their balance on it), landed behind the infantryman with thud sounds, which caused the infantryman to turned around and he see both Barret and Kunsel standing behind him with annoy/angry looks on their faces.

"W-What the!" said the infantryman in a shocked tone of voice at Barret, Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent. "You… You guys!"

"Yeah, whatever." said Kunsel in a sharp tone of voice to the infantryman as he glared at him. "Now hand over the Huge Materia to us."

"Never!" the infantryman snapped at Kunsel as he swiftly pull his sub-machine gun out, pointed the sub-machine gun at both Barret and Kunsel and fired several bullets at them. Kunsel swiftly deflected each of the bullets away from him and Barret with his sword before Barret grabbed hold of the infantryman, lifted him up and threw him over the side of the train.

" _That infantryman should know better than to fight against us._ " thought Kunsel annoyingly to himself.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for, soldier guy!" Barret snapped at Kunsel (which broke him out from his thoughts). "We got no time now!"

"Hurry up and pull the brakes to stop this train, Kunsel!" said Phemie in an anxious then fearful tone of voice to Kunsel. "Before we crashed directly into North Corel and its people, which is further down the railway track ahead of us!"

Kunsel heard what Phemie just told him, raised his mako eyes to look down the railway track further ahead of him and the others and saw that the speeding train which they're standing/riding on is indeed heading straight toward North Corel.

"Goddammit!" Kunsel cursed out before he glance down and inspected the train controls in front of him and Barret, which look slightly more complex than the controls on the second train but the first train had the same 2 levels as the second train, currently in line with each other. " _Let's see… if I alternately use the 2 levers to accelerate… it should brake and stopped this train if I move the 2 levels up and down simultaneously!"_ thought Kunsel to himself (while he ignored the impatient and annoyed muttering from Barret) before he grasped the 2 levers firmly in his hands and pulled them back.

Right after Kunsel pull the 2 levers back, Barret, Crisis, Phemie and Vincent heard a chug sound coming from the train and they felt the train suddenly increase its speed, which nearly caused Kunsel and the others to almost fell off the train and Crisis, Phemie and Vincent quickly hold onto the top sides of the train car firmly with their hands to keep themselves from falling off.

"Hey, it's not working, soldier guy!" Barret yelled angrily at Kunsel.

"What have you done!" Phemie yelled at Kunsel.

"You did it wrong, Ashbourne!" Crisis yelled at Kunsel.

"Isn't it… the other way?" said Vincent.

"Will all of you just keep your mouths shut and stop giving me any more pressure!" Kunsel cursed at them through gritted teeth and they instantly lapsed into silence and glared silently at him. " _The other way, huh? It better work this time!"_ thought Kunsel to himself as he gripped the 2 levers and pushed them both back to their upward positions, hoping that this time the speeding train will slow down and stop.

But it was not to be and the speed of the train increase even more, and this time it succeeded in causing Crisis, Phemie and Vincent to lose their firm grip on the top side of the train and they fell away from the top of the train for a few seconds until Crisis managed to swiftly grab hold on the top right side of the train with his right hand and grab hold of Phemie's right hand with his left hand and straining to pull her close to him while Vincent managed to grab hold on the top left side of the train with his yellow clawed left hand and all 3 of them held on with all the strength they could muster on the top of the train.

"Hold on, you two!" said Vincent in a worried tone of voice to both Crisis and Phemie.

"We're trying our best to hold on, Vincent!" said Phemie in a fearful tone of voice to Vincent.

"Hurry up and stop this train already, Ashbourne!" Crisis yelled at Kunsel. "You know we can't hold on forever!"

"DAMN-!" Kunsel cursed loudly as his frantic/worried looking eyes hurriedly inspected at the controls of the train in front of him for the second time, looking for something-ANYTHING- that could stop the speeding train before it crashed directly into North Corel and killing the people living there plus killing them along with it as well. Kunsel then noticed a semi-large dark grey-coloured button on the controls next to the 2 levers and he swiftly slammed his fist on the button without hesitation.

Right after Kunsel slammed his fist on the button, thick black-coloured smoke blowed out of the funnel and the sound of a horn blew slightly loudly in the train while the speed of the train began to decrease rapidly until the train finally came to screeching stop (which make Kunsel, Barret, Crisis, Phemie and Vincent winced in pain and they quickly covered their ears with their hands) across the tracks and in front of North Corel (while the front of the train lightly bumped against some useless garbages and barrels tied together with a sturdy rope lying on the ground near the entrance).

"D-Did the train finally stop, Crisis?" Phemie asked Crisis in a fearful tone of voice.

"Looks like it, Phemie." replied Crisis in a relieved tone of voice.

Phemie let out a heavy sigh of relieved before both she and Crisis (and also Vincent) slowly helped each other to stand up on the top of the train. "Never again will we allowed Kunsel to drive a train, Crisis."

"I couldn't agree more, Phemie." said Crisis with a small smile on his face as both he and Vincent nodded their heads in agreement with Phemie.

"Hey! Are you 3 alright?" Barret asked Crisis, Phemie and Vincent in a worried tone of voice as he glance up at them.

"Yeah, we're fine, Barret." replied Vincent.

"See, you guys? There's no need for worries anymore since I've managed to stopped the train." said Kunsel in a relieved then proud tone of voice to them and to himself.

" _Yeah, right."_ thought Barret, Crisis, Phemie and Vincent in their minds together as they glared at Kunsel before both Barret and Vincent turned and got off the train (and Kunsel got off the train after them) while both Crisis and Phemie turned around and walked/jumped down 1 train car after another until they reached and stopped in their tracks above 1 particular train car, went into the train car and they soon saw a semi-large treasure box lying in a corner inside the train car. As both Crisis and Phemie approach the treasure box, kneel down in front of it and Crisis insert a key into the lock of the treasure box (since the key is lying on the floor next to the treasure box), turned the key and both Crisis and Phemie heard a click sound before Crisis opened the lid of the treasure box to reveal the Huge Materia lying inside the box.

"Wow, Crisis. Is this really 1 of the Huge Materia that Shinra company wanted so much?" said Phemie in an awed tone of voice to Crisis as she look down at the Huge Materia (which is thick green in colour and is much larger, jagged, rougher and emitted an incredible aura of power unlike the smaller materia which they have and used in their battles).

"Yeah, it truly is, Phemie." said Crisis in an awed tone of voice as well to Phemie as he look down at the Huge Materia for a few more seconds before he closed and locked the treasure box up, put the key safely into his right pants pocket, lifted then placed the box under his left arm before both he and Phemie stood up, turned around and left the now empty train car (while taking and carrying the important treasure box with them) to joined up with Barret, Kunsel and Vincent.

When both Crisis and Phemie joined up with Barret, Kunsel and Vincent, both of them saw that the people of North Corel were praising, smiling in joy/relieved and offered congratulatory words to the 5 of them for stopping the speeding train from crashing into North Corel and killing them off (which make them smiled in joy/relieved as well, especially Barret). After the people of North Corel praised and congratulate them for their efforts (and a young boy gave them an Ultima materia, 1 of the most powerful of all materia as well), they then offered to let Barret, Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent to stay at their inn for some free meals, drinks and rests. Barret, Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent thanked the people of North Corel for their generous offer before they walked past the people of North Corel, went up 2 flights of rusty old wooden stairs and went into the inn for their free meals, drinks and rests while they waited patiently for Cid and the rest of their friends/companions to come picked them up.


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter 64: Connexa Somnia**

"Tifa, why don't you go and get something to eat and drink for yourself for a while? Barret told me that you didn't eat or drink anything for the past 10 days." said Laina in a sad/worried tone of voice to Tifa. "I'll take over in watching both Cloud and Angelina until you return."

"No thank you, Laina." said Tifa in an annoyed tone of voice to Laina without looking away from her 2 childhood friends Cloud (who's still sitting weakly on the wheelchair with his face still slightly sweating and deathly pale while his eyes still had the same look of terror in them and his mouth is still saying words which both she and Laina can't understand) and Angelina (who's still lying on the hospital bed with her eyes closed, her slightly sweating skin as deathly pale as Cloud and with an oxygen mask on her nose and mouth to help her breath normally) as she sat in a wooden chair between them both and holding their pale hands gently in her gloved hands inside the hospital room (while ignoring the hunger in her stomach, the thirstiness in her throat, Laina standing behind her and both the doctor and the nurse talking to each other in the next room).

"Tifa, please don't be so stubborn to yourself and get something to eat and drink already." said Laina to Tifa as she let out a small sigh. "Depriving yourself of any foods or drinks while watching over them both isn't helping at all. Both Cloud and Angelina and the rest of our friends/companions wouldn't want to see you like this, Tifa."

Tifa's face instantly turned dark with anger at Laina's annoying words and she let go of both Cloud and Angelina's pale hands from her gloved hands, swiftly stood up from the chair and turned around to glared then argued angrily at Laina. A dark and annoy look appear on Laina's face when she saw and heard Tifa arguing angrily at her and she began arguing back at Tifa. Both of them arguing/telling each other off for the next 6 minutes until Laina finally managed to get Tifa to leave the hospital to get something to eat and drink for herself (albeit reluctantly) while Laina sat down on the vacant chair which Tifa sat on 6 minutes ago and proceeded to watched over both Cloud and Angelina.

"Sorry for our loud argument just now, Cloud, Angelina." said Laina in a sad and apologetic tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina. "You 2 must be worried then disappointed at the both of us now, isn't it?" added Laina sadly. "Is there anything that I or Tifa or maybe the rest of our friends/companions can possibly do to wake or save the 2 of you from your mako poisonings, vegetable state and deep coma, anything at all?" said Laina in a sad tone of voice again to both Cloud and Angelina, who didn't answer her back. Laina then hold both of their pale hands gently in her hands while she sighed and closed her eyes (which is glisten with tears now) for a few seconds.

XXXX

When she opened her eyes, she let out a small gasp of surprise when she saw that she's not sitting on the chair near both near both Cloud and Angelina inside the hospital room in Mideel village, instead she's now sitting on an old wooden chair in the middle of a large open green plain with a large Banora White tree filled with several purplish dumbapples hanging on its branches behind her.

"What the?" said Laina in a surprise tone of voice as she swiftly stood up from the old wooden chair she's sitting on to glance at the large open green plain around her. "Why am I suddenly here in Banora of all places?"

"That's probably because you sort of fell asleep and is now thinking or dreaming about this place." said a familiar woman's voice from behind Laina (which make her gasp again in surprise) before she turned around to glance at the woman and saw that it's indeed Yakumo Levy, the woman she met and befriended in a similar yet different alternate world after she got sent away from hers. "But what I don't understand is that why am I standing here with you in this place you're currently thinking or dreaming about." Yakumo added to Laina.

"I've no idea either, Yakumo." said Laina as she glance at Yakumo sadly. "And here I thought that after you and your husband helped sent me back to my own world that we'll never see each other again."

"Both me and my husband thought so too." said Yakumo as she nodded her head in agreement with Laina. "But it looks like it's not to be, Laina. So where is this place anyway?" Yakumo asked Laina.

"This place is called Banora which is quite famous for the dumbapples trees growing here while it's dumbapples is being made into Banora white juices here as well and also, this place used to be Angeal and Genesis's hometown, Yakumo." replied Laina.

"Are you serious, Laina?" said Yakumo in a surprised tone of voice to Laina. "This place which you're now thinking/dreaming about and which I'm standing here with you is Banora, Angeal and Genesis's hometown?"

"Yes, that's right, Yakumo." said Laina with a small nod of her head.

Both Laina and Yakumo then didn't say anything to each other for a short while until Yakumo noticed the sad look on Laina's face and in her mako eyes.

"What's wrong, Laina? Did something bad happened to you, your sister or your friends after your return?" Yakumo asked Laina.

Laina glance at Yakumo and pondering to herself about whether or not she should tell Yakumo about the terrible things that she, her sister and her friends/companions saw for the past few hours after her return and she decided to tell Yakumo about it. Laina told Yakumo about her appearing in a narrow alleyway between 2 buildings in Junon, saving her sister and her friends/companions from the Shinra robots chasing after them, getting the Highwind airship then saving Tifa on the huge Junon cannon from Scarlet and some infantrymen, heading to Mideel village, found both Cloud and Angelina, saw that they're been struck with mako poisonings once again and Tifa blamed her for both Cloud and Angelina getting mako poisonings up until both her and Tifa's decision to stay with them both while her sister and their friends/companions leave Mideel village to try to stop either Sephiroth or Shinra company. Yakumo listen sadly/silently to the sad and terrible things which Laina is telling her until she's done saying everything to her and Yakumo gave her a sad/pity look before she approach Laina and pull her in for a consoling friend hug.

"That must have been quite hard for you, Laina. For you to see the both of them falling back into mako poisoning states and for Tifa blaming you for their illness." said Yakumo sadly to Laina.

"I know and I'm worried for both Cloud and Angelina now, Yakumo." said Laina in a worried tone of voice as she pull herself away from Yakumo and turned to glance away from her. "Now that the both of them have fall back into mako poisoning, what if they can't break themselves out of it like last time? What if this time the mako poisoning might kill them both while both Tifa and I watched on helplessly? If that happens, I'll be even more upset at myself for not helping them both even more and Tifa will never forgive me. Not that I blamed her for blaming me."

"No, Laina. That's not true." said Yakumo as she placed her hands on Laina's shoulders to firmly turned her around and make Laina glance at her. "Both you and Zack were by their sides the last time they fall into mako poisoning, slowly helped them both in their recovery and you continue to helped them both after Zack died protecting you and them both from the Shinra army on the cliff outside Midgar city. I'm sure that this time won't be any different and both you and Tifa will be able to helped them both in their recovery as well, Laina. So don't be so upset, depressed and blamed yourself for what happened to them both and don't ever stopped helping them in recovering or give up on them both, Laina. And also, when they both do managed to break themselves out of their mako poisoning states, you must tell them the entire truth. Alright, Laina?" Yakumo told her.

Laina glance at Yakumo in silence for a few minutes while she think about the words Yakumo just told her before she finally nodded her head at Yakumo. Yakumo smiled back at Laina before the both of them felt feelings of unconsciousness suddenly come over them both and they closed their eyes.

XXXX

When Laina opened her eyes for the second time and lifted her head from the hospital bed to glance around her, she saw that she's back inside the hospital room and sitting on the wooden chair between both Cloud and Angelina while holding their hands with hers.

" _What a peculiar dream. But inside that dream I met Yakumo once again and she helped snapped me out of my upset/depression mood and offered some consoling words to reassured me greatly."_ thought Laina slightly happily to herself (and to Yakumo) as she glance down at Angelina then glance over her shoulder at Cloud sitting on the wheelchair behind her. "Don't you 2 worry, Cloud, Angelina. Both Tifa and I will do our best to helped you both in your recovery, no matter what." said Laina in a firm and determined tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina.


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter 65: Getting the Huge Materia in Fort Condor, battle against Ultima Weapon and destruction of Mideel**

After Cid told the 3 pilots to landed the airship down onto the grassy ground and dropped Barret, Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent near the entrance which had a long and rocky dirt path leading up to the mountain where the Corel mako reactor is, he waved goodbye and told Barret and the others that he and the others will come back to picked them up soon after they're done in getting the other Huge Materia in Fort Condor. Barret, Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent nodded and wave goodbye to Cid before he turned around, went back into the deck of the airship and ordered his 3 pilots to flew the airship up to the sky and turned the airship in the direction toward Fort Condor. Once the airship arrived and landed down on the Condor plains near the Fort Condor reactor a few minutes later, Cid, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter, Selwyn, Red XIII and Yuffie quickly got off the airship, went toward Fort Condor, met and introduced themselves to Randy (a tan-skinned guy who stands guard outside the reactor entrance) before he let them past through the dusty, cramped entrance and they climbed up a long rope one by one until they reached a second small and cramped cave with a wooden ladder attached against the rocky wall at the edge of the ledge in front of them and they climbed up the wooden ladder 1 by 1 as well until they reached another slightly large-looking cave room.

Cid, Cait Sith and the rest of their friends/companions take a short look around the cave room before they approach and tell/talk to a man (named Marcus) sitting by himself on a chair near 1 of the wooden, round-shaped tables that they're here to helped the villagers of Fort Condor in their upcoming battle against the Shinra army to prevent them from getting their hands on the Huge Materia and getting rid of the villagers, the huge Condor bird and its single egg at the same time. The man named Marcus smiled in relieved and thanked Cid, Cait Sith and the rest of their friends/companions for their cooperations before he called for a young, short brown-haired guy to come (which he did) and Marcus told the young guy to take Cid, Cait Sith and the rest of their friends/companions up to the battlements which is built/situated at the top of the reactor near the huge Condor bird and its single egg. The young guy nodded to Marcus before he lead Cid, Cait Sith and their friends/companions toward another wooden ladder attached against the far left side of the wall inside the cave room and they thanked the young, brown-haired guy (who nodded to them before he turned around and leave) before they climbed up the ladder 1 by 1, reached into another smaller, cramped-looking cave and they walked up the stairs into the battlement room (which turns out to be a small wooden hut with an opened rectangular window which provide a good view of the plains surrounding Fort Condor and stretching as far as the western ocean).

Cid, Cait Sith and the rest of their friends/companions then talk to another tall tan-skinned, bald-headed man (named Frank) in his early thirties and wearing a grey-coloured singlet with matching long pants standing on a wooden stool (who's the lookout of Fort Condor) about their cooperations to helped out the villagers of Fort Condor for their battle against the Shinra army and the man nodded to them before he discussed with them about their battle plan/strategy against the Shinra army. After Frank's done discussing their battle plan/strategy with Cid, Cait Sith and the rest of their friends/companions, they nodded their heads at him before they pull out their weapons and materia in preparation for the upcoming battle.

A few minutes later, the Shinra army arrived and reached Fort Condor from the southern side of the Condor plains before they began marching/climbing up the outer wall of Fort Condor to begin their attacks on the villagers of Fort Condor, the huge Condor bird and its single egg. When they saw the Shinra army marching/climbing up Fort Condor, Cid, Cait Sith and the rest of their friends/companions and some of the villagers of Fort Condor came running out of a side door of the battlement room and run carefully down the outer wall of Fort Condor (to avoid slipping and falling down to their deaths) to engaged the Shinra army in battle. Cid, Cait Sith and the rest of their friends/companions and the villagers of Fort Condor fought fiercely against the Shinra army (who also fought fiercely back at them) for almost an hour and 16 minutes until Cid, Cait Sith and their friends/companions and the villagers of Fort Condor barely managed to defeat the Shinra army and all of them watched with joy/relieved on their faces at the few remaining Shinra army as they turned around and run down the outer wall of Fort Condor and far away from it when they realised that they can't win against them.

Cid, Cait Sith and the rest of their friends/companions and the villagers of Fort Condor sighed heavily in relieved before they went slowly up the outer wall of Fort Condor and went back into the battlement room to rest their weary bodies for a while (at the same time the villagers of Fort Condor praised and thanked Cid, Cait Sith and their friends/companions for their cooperations in fighting against the Shinra army before they turned around and left Cid, Cait Sith and their friends/companions alone in the battlement room). As Cid, Cait Sith and their friends/companions rested on inside the battlement room, Frank decided to take a look out through the opened rectangular window at the huge Condor bird and its single egg and a surprise/shocked look appear on Frank's face when he saw the egg began to emitted an unearthly glow while a strong gust of wind began blowing and thick dark grey clouds began to formed above the huge Condor bird and its single egg. The egg glowed on for a few more seconds before dozens of cracks began to appear, splinter and spread around the egg until the cracks reached the bottom of it before a much different and brighter glow of yellowish-orange coloured light shone out of the egg, expanded then formed into a huge circular energy barrier around the huge Condor bird, the egg and the entire mako reactor (by now Cid, Cait Sith and their friends/companions stood up and saw the event with Frank and all of them also saw a huge black shadow in the shape of a large flaming bird appear and swirled inside the circular energy barrier before it vanished) for a few seconds before the huge circular energy barrier dissipated out into the air at the same time the dark grey clouds and the strong gust of wind fade away into nothingness. After the huge circular energy barrier, the dark grey clouds and the strong gust of wind fade away, the huge Condor bird suddenly let out a painful screech before it fell backward from its egg and the top of the mako reactor and landed with a heavy thud on the ground. After the huge Condor bird fell backward from the top of the reactor to the ground, the cracking shell of the Condor egg broke apart and fell down on the reactor.

After Frank, Cid, Cait Sith and their friends/companions watched the entire event until the end, Frank then turned to glance at Cid, Cait Sith and their friends/companions and told them to go out and check it out. Both Nina and Carter decided to go out to check it out and they watched with awed then pity in their eyes and faces at the baby Condor bird as it take a look around it before it let out a small screech, spread and flapped its yellow wings for a few seconds before it slowly flew up away from the mako reactor toward the sky. As both Nina and Carter watched the baby Condor flew away, a bright glint of light caught their eyes and they lowered their heads to glance down, saw another summon materia (Pheonix materia) lying on the ground below the broken Condor eggshells and Nina kneel down and picked the Pheonix summon materia up before she stood up and both she and Carter turned around and went back into the battlement room.

Once both Nina and Carter went back into the battlement room and rejoined Cid, Cait Sith and the others (who had enough rest by now), they then walked down the stairs away from the battlement room, climbed down the wooden ladder back into the cave room to meet up and bade farewell to Marcus (who's still sitting on the chair near the wooden, round-shaped table), who thanked them for their cooperations in beating the Shinra army away from Fort Condor before he pull the Huge Materia out (which is a deep-red coloured one) and handed it over to them. Cid, Cait Sith and their friends/companions thanked Marcus for handing the Huge Materia over to them before they leave Fort Condor, went back into the airship, turned it on and drove it in the direction toward North Corel to picked up Barret, Crisis, Phemie, Kunsel and Vincent before they went toward Mideel village to check up on Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina.

XXXX

 **1 hour later…**

When the airship finally arrived and landed on the ground near the huge forest which surrounds Mideel village, Crisis, Phemie, Barret and Cid got off the airship (while the others decided to stay on the airship), went into the forest toward Mideel village, went through the village entrance and they headed straight toward the clinic to see how Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina were doing now.

"Hey, we're back, sister!" said Phemie as she, Crisis, Barret and Cid entered the clinic (and greeted the doctor and the nurse after they entered the clinic). Laina swiftly came out of the other room when she heard Phemie calling out to her and gave them a small smile when she saw them.

"Welcome back, all of you." said Laina in a happy/relieved tone of voice to Phemie, Crisis, Barret and Cid.

"Hey, Laina." said Barret as he glance at her. "How's Cloud and Angelina doing now?" Barret asked her.

"Their mako poisoning conditions still remains the same, Barret." replied Laina as she glance at him then slowly shake her head. "And Tifa is getting more sad and depressed at seeing them both like this."

"Their conditions still the same, huh? Poor Tifa…" said Cid as he shake his head sadly.

Laina then let Phemie, Crisis, Barret and Cid walked past her into the other room and Phemie, Crisis, Barret and Cid saw Tifa sitting in a chair between both Cloud and Angelina, holding their pale hands gently in her hands and with a sad and tired look on her face and in her eyes.

"…It's useless…" said Tifa in a sad tone of voice to herself as she continue to stared at both Cloud and Angelina, unaware that Phemie, Crisis, Barret and Cid were staring at her with pity looks on their faces. "I don't understand a thing you're saying, Cloud. What should I do now, Cloud, Angie…? What if the 2 of you stay like this for the rest of your lives?"

Right after Tifa's done talking sadly to herself, the entire clinic building and the floor around and under her, Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Barret, Cid, the doctor and the nurse suddenly started to shake violently and causes both the doctor and the nurse to lose their balance and fell to the floor (while Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Barret and Cid quickly braced themselves against the walls of the clinic to avoid falling down) while the windows rattled loudly in their frames and the glass beakers, test tube vials, cupboard and table started to shake inside the clinic building as well.

"Eyaaaaah!?" yelled Tifa in a fearful tone of voice as she fell from the chair she's sitting on and landed hard on the shaking floor.

"… They're… They're… coming…!" rasped Cloud as he suddenly raised his head up from his chest to glance up at the ceiling of the clinic.

"What did you just say, Cloud!?" demanded Cid as he and the others turned their heads to glance at Cloud. But whatever it was that had prompted Cloud to speak suddenly had gone away and Cloud lowered his head down to his chest once again.

"Uh… aaaa…?" mumbled Cloud weakly to himself.

"Damn. What the hell's goin' on!?" cursed Cid before he glance away from Cloud, turned around to exchange worried/anxious looks with Laina, Phemie, Crisis and Barret and he quickly run past them and out of the clinic. Both Crisis and Barret turned around and run out of the clinic behind him while both Laina and Phemie helped Tifa, the doctor and the nurse to stand up from the shaking floor.

After Cid, Crisis and Barret run out of the clinic, they take a look around them and saw that the entire village of Mideel was in a state of panic. The houses, shops and the trees around them began creaking and heaving violently, the once clear air became thick with dust and dirt that rose up from the shaking ground, a strong gust of wind blew around the village and sending grasses, leaves and branches flying around in the air while the villagers run back and forth in the village in a terrified and panic manner before they hurried into their homes and slammed the doors shut behind them.

"This is not good." said Crisis in a worry tone of voice to both Barret and Cid.

"You think?" said Barret in a sarcastic tone of voice to Crisis.

Amongst all the noises of the houses, shops and the strong gust of wind rattling, shaking and blowing around Cid, Barret and Crisis, all 3 of them soon heard the sound of roaring/gushing water from underneath their feets and as they glance down at the ground, the ground under their feets suddenly jump upward and nearly caused the 3 of them to fall to the ground.

"What's this…!?" said Cid in a worry/fearful tone of voice to himself. "The Lifestream is gushing up from below the surface of the ground under our feets!"

"I think you're right, Cid!" said Crisis as he nodded his head in grim agreement to Cid. "Wait, can you 2 hear that?" Crisis asked both Barret and Cid.

"Hear what?" said Barret as he glance at Crisis. Crisis didn't answer Barret's question and both Barret and Cid soon hear what Crisis had hear a few seconds ago.

A kind of anguish wailing began to appear and wailed painfully through the air around them and causes Crisis, Barret, Cid, the villagers hiding in panic and fear in their houses and shops (and also Laina, Phemie, Tifa, the doctor and the nurse staying inside the clinic) to froze in place when they all heard it. It was the familiar anguish and painful cry/wail of the Planet, a sound which they've heard before back in Cosmo Canyon with Red XIII grandfather, Bugenhagen (except for Crisis and Phemie since this is the first time they both heard it).

"Damn, that's…!" yelled Cid as he frantically glance around him. "This is getting bad…!"

"Cid…? What's wrong?" said Tifa's worried voice from behind Cid, Crisis and Barret and as Cid, Crisis and Barret turned to glance back at the hospital, they saw Tifa came walking out of the clinic with both Laina and Phemie following behind her (while holding their balance against the violent shaking of the ground and the strong gust of wind blowing around them) before they headed toward Cid, Crisis and Barret.

"What the hell are you 3 doing!" said Crisis in an alarmed tone of voice to Tifa, Laina and Phemie. "Get back inside the clinic now!"

"He's right!" said Cid as he nodded his head in agreement with Crisis. "You 3 better get back inside and stay with Cloud and Angelina!"

"What're you 2 talking about!?" said Phemie as she scowled at both Crisis and Cid. "You 2 want us to stay safely with Cloud and Angelina while you 3 stay out here!?"

"That's exactly what we said, Phemie!" said Crisis as he scowled back at Phemie. "Now you 3 get yourselves back inside the clinic!"

"But we…!" Tifa began saying before she lapsed into silence when she saw Cid gave her "don't-argued-with-us" look on his face. Both Phemie and Laina saw the look on his face as well and Laina turned and wasted no time in grabbing both Phemie and Tifa's arms back toward the clinic, pushed them inside and closed the door. Phemie instantly protested through the closed door at Laina for pushing and confining her inside the clinic with Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, the doctor and the nurse but Laina managed to pacify her protests before she walked away from the clinic and joined up with Cid, Crisis and Barret.

"Gaia! All of you, look up there!" yelled Crisis in a shocked tone of voice to Laina, Barret and Cid as he raised his arm and pointed his finger up at the sky. Laina, Barret and Cid swiftly raised their heads to glance up at what Crisis saw and pointed and all 3 of them saw 1 of the huge Weapon (which turns out to be the huge black-coloured Dragon Weapon that they saw flying out of the North Crater and flying near the Highwind airship before it flew away into the night sky) flying in a circle above Mideel village.

"Damn! That &%$^%$ Weapon! Of all the worse times to showed up…!" cursed Cid as he, Laina, Barret and Crisis quickly pull their weapons out in preparation for a battle.

"We've to fight it, Cid!" said Laina to Cid. "We've to protect Mideel and its villagers from it!"

"Yeah, you got that right!" said Cid as he nodded his head at Laina. "Ok then, come on! You &$^%$ Weapon!"

Right after Cid's done talking/cursing, the huge black Dragon Weapon (named Ultimate Weapon) suddenly ceased its circling above Mideel village, lowered its head down at Mideel village and it saw Cid, Laina, Crisis and Barret standing and glaring up at it with their weapons in their hands in preparation for battle. Ultimate Weapon then gave out an ear-piercing loud roar before it tilted its black wings behind it, flew down and landed on the ground in front of them.

Soon after Ultimate Weapon landed on the ground to faced them, it began casting Quake 2 magic attack immediately at them, causing the ground to shake even more violently under their feets and all 4 of them lose their balance and fell to the ground. Cid, Laina, Crisis and Barret quickly stood up from the ground and Crisis quickly casted Hell Blizzaga at Ultimate Weapon (which freezes the upper half of Ultimate Weapon's body before it break apart and causes some small damage on it) while both Cid and Laina uses their "Exodus Blades" and "Hyper Jump" limit breaks on it (which causes several minor slash wounds to appear on its body) and Barret raised his gun-arm and fired some bullets toward it (which pinged and bounce away from its body).

Ultimate Weapon let out a second roar at them before it raised its large left clawed hand and swung its clawed hand swiftly down toward them. Both Laina and Crisis saw its clawed hand coming toward them and they quickly dodged away from its clawed hand but both Cid and Barret didn't managed to dodged away in time and they got slashed badly and sent flying and landed on their backs hard on the ground by its clawed hand. Both Cid and Barret groaned in pain and hold the bleeding slash wounds on their bodies with their hands and Laina swiftly approach and uses "Pulse of Life" limit break on them both to healed their slash wounds (while Crisis casted another Hell Blizzaga magic at Ultimate Weapon).

After Laina's done healing the slash wounds on Cid and Barret's bodies and Crisis casted a third Hell Blizzaga magic at Ultimate Weapon, Ultimate Weapon then began to gathered a huge amount of pure bright blue-coloured energy (called Ultima Beam) in the huge orb inside its chest before it launched the energy beam straight toward them. Laina saw the energy beam coming and she quickly sent Cid, Crisis and Barret flying away from her with her "Telekinesis" limit break while she raised her left hand to quickly created an invisible shield around her at the same time. The energy beam struck hard against her invisible shield for a few seconds before it break the shield apart and the energy beam struck Laina hard and she got sent flying and crash landed hard on the ground near Cid, Barret and Crisis.

"Ugh!" groaned Laina, in great pain.

"Laina!" said Cid, Barret and Crisis in fearful tone of voices as they approach her and saw how severe her wound is when the energy beam struck her head on. But before any of them could casted some Cura or Curaga magic to healed her severe wound (while the Jenova cells inside her begin their rapid self-healing), Ultimate Weapon began preparing to gather and launch another energy beam at them. Both Cid and Barret quickly lifted their arms to braced themselves while Crisis went and stood in front of Laina to protect her and lifted his arms to braced himself against the energy beam as well. But just as suddenly as Ultimate Weapon prepared to gather and launch another energy beam at them, it disabled its energy beam attack, lifted its head to the sky to look at the North. Cid, Barret and Crisis warily lowered their arms when they saw what Ultimate Weapon is doing. Ultimate Weapon then lowered its head, spread its wings out behind it before it began flapping its wings and it started to flew up off the ground, away from Cid, Barret, Crisis and Laina (who's now slowly standing up from the ground after the self-healing in her body is done) and flew in a circle around and above Mideel village.

"You &^$#&%#$ Weapon!" Cid cursed loudly at Ultimate Weapon when he saw Ultimate Weapon flew around in a circle in the sky. "You tryin' to escape?"

Ultimate Weapon continue to flew in a circle around and above Mideel village for a few more seconds before it suddenly flew off away from Mideel village and disappeared from their sights. Right after Ultimate Weapons flew away, the painful/anguish wailing of the Planet stops, the strong gust of wind blowing around them ceased, the violent shaking under their feets stop shaking and the ground became perfectly still and quiet. Cid lowered his head to glance down as he cautiously took a few slow steps forward to check the ground and let out a small sigh of relieved when he didn't feel any more violent shaking. Barret also let out a relieved sigh while Crisis glance at Laina and smiled in relieved when he saw her standing and the severe wound on her body has healed up.

"Laina, are you alright now?" Crisis asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine now, Crisis." replied Laina as she smiled weakly at him.

"Damn, man. Just a little bit more an' I woudda smashed that Weapon to pieces…" said Barret in an annoyed tone of voice to Cid, Laina and Crisis.

" _Yeah, right."_ thought Laina sarcastically at Barret. " _That Ultimate Weapon would easily crushed you with little effort."_

"Now that Weapon's gone and the Lifestream had settled down, looks like everything is fine, for now." said Crisis as he glance at Cid, Laina and Barret then he glance at the village around them.

Just as Crisis's done talking, the ground under their feets began to shake violently for the second time.

"Damn, you gotta be kiddin' me…!" said Cid as he, Barret, Laina and Crisis try to braced themselves against the violent shaking before he glared at Crisis. "You and your big mouth!" Cid cursed at Crisis.

The shaking ground under their feets increased its violent shaking even more than the first one and Cid, Barret, Laina and Crisis soon heard a loud roaring and cracking sound coming from the ground (which began to lurched and heaved) under their feets while they saw with worry/fearful looks on their faces as some of the trees were torn roughly out of the lurching/heaving ground and fell down.

"Th, this is bad…!" said Cid in a worry/fearful tone of voice to Barret, Laina and Crisis. "The main stream is kickin' up! Something way bigger than the last one is coming swiftly to the surface! No good! We gotta get out of here right now…!" Cid told Barret, Laina and Crisis.

"What about my sister, Phemie and my 3 friends, Cloud, Angelina and Tifa!?" protested Laina as she glance at Cid. "They're still in the clinic!"

"Goddammit, you wench! You don't have time to worry about anyone other than yourself!" Cid snapped at Laina. "You don't know when that stream'll blow up…"

"I don't care, Cid!" Laina snapped back at Cid. "I'm going into the clinic to warned them and told them to hurry and get out of this place right now!" Laina then turned around and run quickly toward the clinic and went into the building. Crisis also followed suit swiftly behind her, went into the clinic and a few minutes later, both he and Phemie came running out of the clinic, carrying Cloud's Buster Sword and Angelina's naginata weapons in their arms and they joined up with both Cid and Barret.

"Where's Laina!?" Barret asked both Crisis and Phemie.

"She's helping Tifa in getting and carrying both Cloud and Angelina out of the clinic now!" Phemie answered Barret's question. "She said that both she and Tifa will be right behind us with both Cloud and Angelina!"

After Phemie's done talking to them, the ground under their feets started to split apart into many cracks which spreads in all direction in Mideel village and releasing several billowing clouds of pale green-coloured steams out from the cracks on the ground. Cid, Barret, Crisis and Phemie then heard a loud popping sound coming from the cracks on the ground which spread straight toward the west side of the village and several more pale green-coloured steams came billowing out from it.

"Whoa! There's no time already! We gotta go now!" said Cid in a worry/fearful tone to Barret, Crisis and Phemie before he turned and quickly run toward the entrance of the village (while the villagers of Mideel quickly run out of their homes and shops, runthrough the entrance and leave their homes and shops behind). Barret quickly turned and run after him and as Phemie was about to head back to the clinic to get Laina and her friends when she didn't saw them coming, Crisis stop her from going to the clinic by grabbing and dragging her out of Mideel village. Phemie struggle to free herself from Crisis firm grip but he wouldn't let her go.

"Let go of me, Crisis!" Phemie protested at Crisis but he ignored her protest completely. "Sister, you and your friends hurry and get out of there now!" Phemie yelled loudly at the clinic.

XXXX

When both Laina and Crisis run into the clinic, Laina quickly warned and tell Phemie, Tifa, the doctor and the nurse to hurry and leave the clinic. Both the doctor and the nurse nodded their heads in agreement to Laina before they run past both her and Crisis through the opened door of the clinic toward the village entrance. Both Laina and Crisis then went into the other room and Laina get both Cloud's Buster Sword and Angelina's naginata, thrust their weapons into Crisis and Phemie's arms and she told them to leave first while she stay behind with Tifa to get and carry both Cloud and Angelina out of the clinic.

Phemie instantly protested against Laina's decision to stay behind with Tifa to get and carry both Cloud and Angelina out of the clinic and Laina managed to firmly reassured Phemie that she and her 3 friends will be right behind her and Crisis and quickly sent them out. After Laina sent both Crisis and Phemie out, she then turned around, approach Angelina and take the oxygen mask away from her face before she lifted her comatose body up from the bed while Tifa hurried to stand behind Cloud and her hands took a firm hold of the handlebars of the wheelchair Cloud is sitting on and they quickly led and carry both Cloud and Angelina out of the clinic, turned to their left and they quickly run down the path toward the village entrance (while the clinic and the ground behind them break apart and fell down into the greenish-coloured water of the Lifestream).

Just as both Laina and Tifa were about to reached the village entrance while leading/carrying both Cloud and Angelina with them, the ground under their feets break apart (which sent a thick wall of dirt and dust up from the ground and covered Laina and Tifa's view of the other side of the village entrance) and both Laina and Tifa exchange a short glance of fear/horror to each other before the ground under their feets suddenly tilted forward, sending Laina, Tifa, Cloud and Angelina to slide across then fell down from the tilting ground and all 4 of them landed with a splash into the greenish-coloured water of the Lifestream.


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter 66: Restoring Cloud and Angelina's memories part 1**

When both Tifa and Laina finally opened their eyes and take a look around them, they saw that they're floating inside a huge space of darkness and felt their bodies spinning in the darkness before the spinning of their bodies slowed down until they came to a stop, felt the sturdy presence of a floor under their feets and they slowly stood up from the invisible floor.

"Wh, where are we, Laina…?" Tifa asked Laina in a confused and worried tone of voice. "What just happened to us?"

"The 4 of us fell into the Lifestream before we could escape from Mideel, Tifa." Laina answered Tifa's question.

"We did?" said Tifa as she turned to glance at Laina before a look of fear/horror appear on her face. "What about Cloud and Angie, Laina!? Where are they…!?" Tifa turned away from Laina before she could say anything to her. "Cloud, Angie, where are you two!?" Tifa yelled out to them in the darkness and didn't received any reply.

"Tifa, stop yelling and calm down!" said Laina as she approach Tifa, placed her hand on her shoulder and firmly turned her around. "We'll find them both, Tifa! So calm down."

"…Yeah, alright, Laina." said Tifa as she slowly nodded her head at Laina, take a slow deep breath and felt a bit calm down.

After Laina managed to get Tifa to calm down, both of them suddenly froze up when they heard a kind of static noise suddenly coming out of the darkness around them. Both Tifa and Laina then heard a strange voice (which is neither physical nor spiritual) talking to them over the static noise coming from the darkness.

"Huh… what…? Who…?" said Tifa in a confused tone of voice as she (and Laina) try to listen to the strange voice clearly. "Who is it…? I can't hear…" The static noise increased its volume a little while both Tifa and Laina felt the floor under their feets started to spin steadily before Tifa suddenly turned sharply to her left. "Wait a minute…! Neither Laina nor I know anything about that!" Tifa yelled at the strange voice in the darkness before she turned sharply to her right. "No, it's not me…! I'd never do anything like that!" Tifa protested at the strange voice.

"Tifa, calm down!" said Laina in a worry tone of voice to Tifa.

The static noise increased its volume even more than before and the loud static noise caused Tifa to cried out in pain and covered her ears with her gloved hands while Laina winced in pain, covered her ear with her left hand while she placed her right hand on Tifa's shoulder to try to help calm her down.

"No! Stop it…! Stay back!" Tifa yelled at the strange voice and the loud static noise before she suddenly turned to her left and run away from Laina, trying to escape from the strange voice and the loud static noise.

"Tifa, wait!" yelled Laina before she turned and run after her.

Tifa didn't hear Laina's voice yelling behind her over the strange voice and the loud static noise crackling/screaming at her from the darkness. "Somebody… help! Please!" Tifa yelled out in fear as she kept on running until she stops running and fell to her knees on the dark floor. Laina caught up to her and she got down on one knee next to her.

After Laina caught up with Tifa and stay near her, another different and loud sound came out of the darkness around them, joined itself with the strange voice and the loud static noise, which turns out to be the loud sounds of gunshots. "Please, make the noises stop, Laina! I can't take it!" said Tifa in a pleading tone of voice to Laina.

"I can't make the noises stop, Tifa!" said Laina in a slightly loud and sad tone of voice to Tifa. "I don't know how, I'm sorry!"

"Cloud, Angie, where are you two!? Please help me!" Tifa cried out desperately to both Cloud and Angelina over the loud sounds of the strange voice and the sounds of static and gunshots around her and Laina before the dark floor under their knees suddenly vanish and they fell down into the darkness.

XXXX

When both Tifa and Laina opened their eyes and take a look around them for the second time, they saw that they're now lying face-down on a large, circular greenish-white coloured platform inside a huge green-coloured space filled with bright glowing round yellowish lights and round-shaped bluish-green stones floating in the air around them. Both Tifa and Laina then slowly stood up from the floor of the platform, lifted their heads to look up and they gasped together when they saw the 2 translucent figures of Cloud and Angelina hovering in the air above them. Both Cloud and Angelina were on their knees, their bodies writhing as though in great pains, their hands clutching their heads and their eyes were tightly shut.

"Cloud!?" Tifa called up to the translucent figure of Cloud.

"Angelina!?" Laina called up to the translucent figure of Angelina as well.

"What is it, Cloud, Angie?" Tifa asked them both worriedly. "What is this…!?"

Laina lowered her gaze away from the translucent figures of both Cloud and Angelina hovering above her and Tifa, take another glance around them both and let out another gasp before she raised and placed her hand on Tifa's shoulder and shake it a little. Tifa lowered her head to glance at Laina and just as she was about to snapped at her, Laina cut her off by telling her to take another look around her. Tifa did what Laina told her and she gasped as well.

Several paths branched off from the main platform where both Tifa and Laina stood on, each of them heading off in different directions and on the ends of each paths lie several smaller greenish white coloured floating platforms. And floating above each of the smaller platforms were images of things/places that both Tifa and Laina recognized from their memories. But the things that had their full attentions was the 2 figures of Cloud and Angelina sitting with their backs to both Tifa and Laina on the ends of each paths.

" _Each ones of them was Cloud and Angelina."_ thought Laina to herself.

"Is this place the inside of both your dreams, Cloud, Angie? Or is it… both of your… subconsciousnesses…?" asked Tifa as she glance up and around as each of the figures of Cloud and Angelina around and above her and Laina before she slowly lowered and nodded her head. "The 2 of you are searching for your true selves, isn't it, Cloud, Angie?"

"…If that's the case, both Tifa and I will help you two out." said Laina in a sad then determined tone of voice to the dozens of Cloud and Angelina's translucent figures above and around them both. "And this time, we'll tell you both the entire truth."

"Yeah, that's right, we will, Cloud, Angie!" said Tifa firmly to Cloud and Angelina as she glance at Laina and nodded her head in agreement to her. "But… Where do we start…?"

"Why don't we start with the image showing the Gates of Nibelheim behind us, Tifa?" Laina told Tifa. "The place where Sephiroth passed through 5 years ago, where everything started…"

Tifa nodded her head in agreement to Laina for the second time before they turned and walked down the path toward the smaller platform where the image/memory of the Gates of Nibelheim floated above it. As soon as both Tifa and Laina approach and stopped in their tracks on the platform ground in front of both Cloud and Angelina and the floating image/memory of the Gates of Nibelheim, both Cloud and Angelina slowly stood up from the ground and lifted their heads to glance into the floating image/memory in front of them. Both Tifa and Laina glance into the image/memory with both Cloud and Angelina and a few seconds later, the 4 of them soon found themselves standing in front of the entrance of Nibelheim once again.

"Cloud, Angie… look." said Tifa to both Cloud and Angelina as she run away from Laina, Cloud and Angelina through the Nibelheim entrance and stopped in her tracks inside the village. "Here's the well…" said Tifa as she glance forward at the old water well standing on a tall wooden platform in the middle of the village before she turned to her left to glance at the inn building. "And that's Gramp's Inn, too." said Tifa before she turned and run out of the entrance and stopped in her tracks near an old-looking truck parked just outside the entrance. "And this is the only truck stuck outside Nibelheim. It's been here ever since the 3 of us were little kids, right? This is the real Nibelheim you two remember, right, Cloud, Angie?" said Tifa as she (and Laina) glance at Cloud and Angelina, who didn't say anything back to her. Tifa smiled and nodded her head to them both. "It's the same as my Nibelheim. That's why this place is… our Nibelheim."

Both Cloud and Angelina instantly disappear into thin air after Tifa's done talking/telling them both then they reappear and is sitting on the ground near the back of the old-looking truck. Both Tifa and Laina turned and slowly approach both Cloud and Angelina before they slowly stood up from the ground, glance up at Tifa and Laina with blank looks on their faces before they lowered their heads to glance down at the ground in silence.

"5 years ago… some of us SOLDIERS came to this village to investigate and eliminate monsters…" Laina began saying to both Cloud and Angelina (and Tifa) before she turned and slowly walked away from them and stopped in her tracks in front of the entrance, glancing into the village within. "Sephiroth, me and… a young and vibrant soldier that I love dearly." Laina said the last 9 words under her breath before she turned to glance at both Cloud and Angelina. "Can you 2 try to remember again what happened?" Laina asked them both.

Both Cloud and Angelina lifted their heads and slowly nodded silently to Laina. Laina nodded back to them before she walked away from the entrance back to the 3 of them, turned around and waited. A few seconds later, all 4 of them saw the figure of Sephiroth walking forward through the entrance of Nibelheim, with younger versions of Laina, Cloud and Angelina who's walking closely on either sides of Laina behind him while 4 infantrymen followed closely behind them before Sephiroth stops walking and glance over his shoulder at both Cloud and Angelina. " _So, how does it feels?"_ Sephiroth asked them.

"5 years ago… I saw Sephiroth with my own eyes for the very first time." Tifa began saying to both Cloud and Angelina (which is the ones standing and watching the entire scene with Tifa and the current Laina).

" _To finally be home after all this long time?" said Sephiroth._ " _Since I've no hometown, I wouldn't know what it feels like."_

" _Uh, what about your family?"_ _the younger version of Cloud asked Sephiroth._

 _Sephiroth heard Cloud's question and he slowly turned around to glance at him._

"So this is… the Great Sephiroth." said Tifa in a small tone of voice as she glance at Sephiroth.

" _My mother's name is Jenova."_ _Sephiroth answered Cloud's question. "She died shortly after she gave birth to me. As for my father…" Sephiroth stop mid-sentence and as Cloud, Angelina and Laina waited for him to finish his tale, he suddenly threw back his head and started laughing, which surprises them._

"But to tell you 2 the truth, I thought that he's very cold." admitted Tifa as she shivered a little when she saw Sephiroth began laughing.

" _That's just how he is, Tifa._ " thought Laina sadly to herself.

" _Why am I talking about this to you all?"_ Sephiroth said to them as he raised and placed his left hand on his forehead before he turned to look away from them. " _Come on, let's keep on going."_ Sephiroth told them before he started walking forward again while the younger versions of Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the 4 infantrymen standing behind the 3 of them didn't move an inch.

"I remember that I felt a terrible feeling of foreboding about him back then." said Tifa as she lowered her head to glance down at the ground while Laina glance at her sadly. Laina then glance away from Tifa at both Cloud and Angelina as they slowly walked away from them both toward the 2 younger versions of them, stepped into and merged with their 2 younger versions before they turned their heads to glance at both Tifa and Laina.

"No, Cloud, Angelina." said Laina as she shook her head sadly at them both. "Both Tifa and I shouldn't have hide and neglected to tell you both the entire truth for so long just because Tifa and I were afraid that something bad will happen if we did. But not this time."

After Laina's done talking to both Cloud and Angelina, the figures of Sephiroth, the younger version of Laina and the 4 infantrymen suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving only Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and the current Laina behind.

"…The 2 of you weren't here." Tifa began saying to both Cloud and Angelina."You 2 didn't come to Nibelheim 5 years ago. I waited near the entrance for you 2, but you 2…didn't came at all."

Both Cloud and Angelina heard what Tifa just told them and they lowered their heads to glance down at the ground with looks of sadness/anguish on their faces.

"Actually, Tifa, the both of them did come to Nibelheim 5 years ago." said Laina as she glance at Tifa. "Just that they were…"

"They both did?" said Tifa suddenly, cutting off Laina's words. "Then why didn't I see them both? Where were they back then, Laina?"

"Well, that's because…" said Laina before she ceased talking and slowly shook her head at Tifa. "No, I won't say more of it. That's something that both Cloud and Angelina have to figure out and remember on their own and it's something that you've to see with your own eyes, Tifa."

Tifa scowled darkly at Laina before she sighed in deep dismay and turned her head to glance away from Laina and glance at both Cloud and Angelina, who had lifted their heads to glance at them both. All 4 of them then saw the figures of Sephiroth, the unfamiliar spiky black-haired guy (which Cloud, Angelina and Tifa remember seeing inside the illusion world Sephiroth showed them back in the North Crater while Laina smiled sadly when she saw the spiky black-haired guy) standing next to the younger version of Laina and the 4 infantrymen suddenly reappear before a flash of bright white light engulfed all 4 of them and they found themselves back on the greenish-white coloured platform, standing outside the image/memory of Nibelheim.

"You 2 mean that the 2 of us… weren't in Nibelheim with Sephiroth 5 years ago?" Cloud asked both Tifa and Laina as he and Angelina glance at them.

"No, the 2 of you were in Nibelheim with Sephiroth, me and another soldier 5 years ago." Laina answered Cloud's question. "Just not as… members of SOLDIER."

"What do you… mean by that, Laina?" asked Angelina in a confused tone of voice.

"I can't tell you both… everything all at once, Cloud, Angelina." Laina told them both as she slowly shook her head. "I'm sure that the 2 of you will be able to remember and find the answers on your own, one step at a time, alright?"

Both Cloud and Angelina glance at Laina with "why-won't-you-just-tell-us-everything" looks on their faces for a few seconds before they sighed and nodded their heads at Laina then they turned around and sat down on the smaller platform ground in silence. Both Laina and Tifa then turned and walked away from them back toward the central stone platform, glance around at the other paths with several other images/memories floating above them and Laina decided to walked down the path to her left where the image/memory of a snowy mountain floated above the smaller platform, with Tifa following closely next to her. Cloud stood up to his feet when he felt Laina and Tifa's (who had a slightly surprise look on her face when she didn't see Angelina with him) presence behind him before he turned around to glance at them both.

"A helicopter crashing on the cold, snowy mountain while on a mission… The first time I met you…" Cloud told Laina. "Or is that just another false memory?"

"Huh?" said Laina in confusion to Cloud before she crossed her arms to think deeply about what he just said to her then she finally remember and gave him a small smile. "Oh, that's right, Cloud. Why don't the 3 of us go and take a look? And try to remember slowly about it, Cloud." Laina told Cloud, who slowly nodded back to her before the 3 of them glance into the image/memory of the snowy mountain and a few seconds later, Cloud, Laina and Tifa found themselves standing on a cold snowy ground. Tifa immediately covered her body with her arms as she began shivering while all 3 of them glance around the cold, snowy mountain and they soon saw the crashed and burned-up Shinra helicopter, the unfamiliar spiky black-haired guy and the younger version of Laina in their SOLDIER uniforms, the 2 turks Tseng and Crisis and 2 infantrymen behind them, all of them lying face-down or on their backs on the snowy ground.

"W-What memory is this, Laina?" Tifa asked Laina.

"Just watched, Tifa." replied Laina (while she smile inwardly at how the younger version of herself quickly scooted off the unfamiliar spiky black-haired guy when she realised that she's lying on top of him before he woke up).

" _Ugh. Well, that's a fine "How-do-you-do!"."_ _said the unfamiliar spiky black-haired guy sarcastically as he and the younger version of Laina stood up from the snowy ground before they brushed the snow away from their heads and clothes._

" _Yeah, you tell me."_ _said Laina to the unfamiliar guy as she scanned around the snowy mountain area._ " _The helicopter's busted so we have no choice but to walk the rest of the way to Modeoheim now."_

 _The unfamiliar guy glance at Laina and gave her a nod before he began calling for the others._ " _Tseng, Crisis! Hey guys!"_ _The unfamiliar guy and Laina then heard some rustling sounds behind them and they turned around and saw Tseng, Crisis and the 2 infantrymen slowly getting up on their feets. Both Tseng and Crisis pull their phones out of their suit pockets to call for help but to no avail._

" _No signal out here."_ _Tseng said to them as they gathered around him._

" _Well, at least we're all in one piece."_ _said the unfamiliar guy._ " _We'll be alright."_

" _Thankfully, we've someone use to this kind of situation/terrain." said Tseng as he glance at the unfamiliar guy._

" _Yeah, yeah, Tseng."_ _replied the unfamiliar guy with a shrug and a shake of his head while the younger version of Laina chuckled._ " _I'm a country boy."_

" _Alright, then." said Tseng as he walked past the unfamiliar guy and the younger version of Laina and stopped in his tracks with his back to them._ " _We would have reached Modeoheim by now if we haven't crashed. So we all need to make up for our wasted time."_

The unfamiliar guy walked forward past Tseng then glance over his left shoulder back at them. " _Alright! Follow me then, all of you!"_ the unfamiliar guy said to them before he and the others standing behind him began walking. The figure of Cloud, Tifa (who's still shivering) and Laina (who took off her long blue coat and gave it to Tifa to covered her shivering body up) began walking and following closely with them. After all of them walked on the snowy mountain path for a half-hour, the figure of Cloud, Tifa and Laina then saw the unfamiliar guy turned around to glance back at the others walking behind him.

" _Yo! Don't you guys fall too far behind us!" the unfamiliar guy yelled at Tseng, Crisis and the second infantryman before he turned back and take a few steps backward to talk to the first infantryman walking near him and the younger version of Laina._ " _At least someone's keeping up with me and Laina."_

" _Well, I'm a country boy too. Like you."_ _said the infantryman._

The current Laina glance over her right shoulder at the figure of Cloud, saw that he's staring intently at the 3 persons walking ahead of himself, her and Tifa and Laina turned her head to look away from him.

" _From where?"_ _the unfamiliar guy asked the infantryman._

 _The infantryman stopped walking and answered his question._ " _Nibelheim."_ _the unfamiliar guy immediately burst into laughter after he heard what the infantryman just told him._ " _And what about you two?"_ _the infantryman asked the unfamiliar guy and the younger version of Laina._

" _Me?" the unfamiliar guy said to the infantryman after he's done laughing._ " _Gongaga." The infantryman heard what he said and now it's his turn to laugh._

" _Hey, what's so funny about that?" the unfamiliar guy said to the infantryman with a scowl look on his face._ " _You know Gongaga?"_

" _No, but it's such a backwater name."_ _replied the infantryman._

" _Ditto Nibelheim." said the unfamiliar guy as he turned to look away from the infantryman with his hands on his hip._

" _Like you've been there."_ _said the infantryman._

" _No, I haven't. But there's a reactor there, right?"_ _the unfamiliar guy said to him as he turned back and the infantryman nodded his head._ " _A mako reactor outside Midgar usually means…"_

" _Nothing else out there."_ _the younger version of Laina said for them both. Both the unfamiliar guy and the infantryman turned their heads to glance at her and the 3 of them prompted dissolved into laughters._

" _Hey! Good news, Tseng! Me and…"_ _the unfamiliar guy began saying then stopped mid-sentence and glance at the infantryman when he realised that he doesn't know his name. The infantryman took his helmet off to reveal a younger version of Cloud._

" _Cloud Strife." the infantryman introduced himself_ (while Tifa gasped when she saw Cloud as an infantryman).

" _Me and Cloud here are both backwater experts! Oh yeah!" said the unfamiliar guy enthusiastically while the younger version of Laina chuckled as his reaction and he gave her a wink before the 3 of them resumed walking on._

" _Good. Carry on then."_ said Tseng from behind them as he, Crisis and the second infantryman continue walking on after them while the figure of Cloud, the current Laina and Tifa ceased walking to glance at each other.

"I'm… an infantryman?" said Cloud as he glance at Laina, who slowly nodded her head at him.

"I never thought that…" Tifa began saying to herself. "Then what about Angie, Laina? Where is she?" Tifa asked Laina.

"You'll see her soon enough, Tifa." Laina answer Tifa's question without looking away from Cloud. "Cloud, do you remember the place where that SOLDIER guy and me met Angelina for the first time?" Laina asked Cloud, who began thinking deeply after he heard her question.

"I… I remember now, Laina." replied Cloud with a small nod of his head.

"Show us what you remember slowly, Cloud." said Laina to Cloud and he nodded his head to her and Tifa before he closed his eyes. Suddenly the image/memory of the snowy mountain around the 3 of them change and replaced into another image/memory showing a gateway somewhere on the upper 6th level in Junon city (which is during the time when Genesis ordered his copies to saved Hollander 6 years ago). After Cloud slowly remember and change/replaced the image/memory, the figure of Angelina suddenly appeared out of thin air next to him and she stares at the image/memory around her with a confused look on her face.

"What the? Where is this place?" said Angelina in a confused tone of voice.

"Don't be confused, Angelina. You'll remember soon enough." Laina told Angelina before she nodded her head approvingly to Cloud. "That's right, Cloud. This is the exact place where the SOLDIER guy and I met Angelina for the first time."

Both figures of Cloud and Angelina, Tifa and Laina then turned and watched silently as the unfamiliar guy and the younger version of Laina opened and run into the gateway, chasing after a fat elderly man wearing a scientist outfit who opened another gateway to sent in a robotic tank weapon to fight them both. Both the unfamiliar guy and the younger version of Laina fought and won against the robotic tank weapon before they talked briefly to Tseng, Crisis, Phemie and several infantrymen (who brought some Junon civilians into the gateway for their safety). After they done talking to the 3 Turks, both the unfamiliar guy and the younger version of Laina then turned around, run toward the other gateway where the fat elderly man just run out after he opened it and they stopped in their tracks when they noticed 2 persons standing near the switch on the wall (with the figures of Cloud and Angelina, the current Laina and Tifa following closely behind them both).

" _Unbelievable!"_ _said the second infantryman standing near the first infantryman in an incredulous (and quite feminine) tone of voice._ " _Even now you still get motion sickness from sitting in vehicles? And here I thought that you got better after you left Nibelheim years ago."_

 _The first infantryman slowly raised his head to glance up at the second infantryman standing near him and both the unfamiliar guy and the younger version of Laina caught a hint of spiky yellow hair from the infantryman._ " _I'm sorry, Angie."_ _the first infantryman apologized to the second infantryman_ (while Tifa gasped for the second time when she heard what he just said).

 _The female infantryman named "Angie" sighed deeply at the first infantryman._ " _It's fine. Just… get better. That's all."_

" _Hey!" the unfamiliar guy called out to them both._ " _Are you all right?"_ _the unfamiliar guy asked the infantryman who leaned his left arm against the wall._

" _Y-yeah."_ _replied the infantryman as he slowly straighten himself up and turned to glance at the unfamiliar guy and the younger version of Laina._ " _On the helicopter… I got a little nauseous…"_

" _Wait a second!"_ _said the unfamiliar guy as he pointed a finger at the infantryman._ " _You're Cloud!"_

 _Wow, you remembered me." said Cloud in a surprised and a little glad tone of voice._

" _Of course I remember!"_ _said the unfamiliar guy as he placed both of his hands on his hip._ " _We're happy to be working with you again! Right, Laina?"_

 _Laina smiled and nodded her head at the unfamiliar guy._ " _Indeed we are." The younger version of Laina told him before she turned her attention to the second infantryman standing next to Cloud._ " _And who is this female infantryman standing with you, Cloud?"_ _the younger version of Laina asked Cloud._

 _Cloud glance back and forth at the younger version of Laina and at the female infantryman standing with him and before he could introduced her to both the unfamiliar guy and the younger version of Laina, the female infantryman decided to take her helmet off and introduced herself to them both without Cloud helping her._

" _My name's Angelina Pierce. Nice to meet you two. And just like Cloud, I'm also from Nibelheim."_ _the female infantryman named Angelina Pierce told them both before she hold out her hand toward the younger version of Laina for a handshake._

" _Nice to meet you too, Angelina."_ _said Laina as she hold out her hand and shook Angelina's hand._ " _I'm Laina Donovan and this guy here is my partner."_

" _Heya."_ _the unfamiliar guy greeted Angelina with a wink, which caused Angelina to blush slightly and for the younger version of Laina to narrowed her eyes at him._

" _Thought, to be honest." said Angelina as she sighed for the second time._ " _Helping the Turks to moved the evacuated civilians here is quite dull."_

" _I agreed with Angie." said Cloud as he lowered his head down again._ " _This is a really dull job."_

" _What are you two talking about?" said the unfamiliar guy, slightly shocked at hearing what they just said._ " _Rescue work is an important task!"_

" _He's got a point, you two." said the younger version of Laina as she nodded her head in agreement with the unfamiliar guy before a mischievous thought crossed her mind._ " _How about this? When we're all done with our work here, why don't we go and grab a bite to eat? His treat, of course."_

" _Yeah, that's… hey!" the unfamiliar guy stops mid-sentence and scowled at the younger version of Laina. "I never agreed to that, Laina!"_

 _Laina stuck her tongue out at him and both Cloud and Angelina chuckled._ " _Really? That would be great!" said Angelina as she smiled at them._

" _Yeah."_ _said Cloud._ " _Once I'm feeling better, Angie and I will go with you two."_

" _Definitely."_ _said Angelina as she nodded her head to them both. Both the younger version of Laina and the unfamiliar guy smiled at them before they walked past both Cloud and Angelina to pressed the switch to opened the gateway and they run through it._

"Oh, that's right, I remember now, Laina." said Angelina as she turned her head to glance at the current Laina. "This is the place where I first met you and that other SOLDIER guy. And both Cloud and I chuckled to ourselves when we saw how you teased/tricked that guy into paying for our treats."

"Yeah, that was 1 of good old times." said Laina as she, Angelina, Tifa and Cloud watched as the image/memory of the Junon gateway around them abruptly change into yet another different image/memory.

XXXX

( _I know that I use a bit too much of the same words in this chapter so please don't be too irritated about it. Same goes for the next 2 chapters.)_


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter 67: Restoring Cloud and Angelina's memories part 2**

This time Laina, Tifa and the 2 translucent figures of Cloud and Angelina is standing inside the huge room which belongs to all of the SOLDIER operatives and all 4 of them watched as the unfamiliar guy and the younger version of Laina walking down the hallway toward the seating area outside the training room and both of them soon noticed 2 infantrymen standing against the wall outside the training room, without their helmets on.

"Hey, that's us again." said Angelina as she glance at Laina.

"Yeah, that's right, Angelina." said Laina as she nodded her head to Angelina.

" _What's up, you two?"_ _the unfamiliar guy asked the both of them._

" _Nothing. Just that Angie and I are having a little trouble in rounding up the group…"_ _replied Cloud as he and Angelina turned to glance at the unfamiliar guy and the younger version of Laina._

" _We're in a hurry here, so let's move it!" said the unfamiliar guy as he walked forward with the younger version of Laina walking beside him._

" _Sir! Ma'am!" said both Cloud and Angelina immediately to the unfamiliar guy while they stand in attention._

" _What? Cloud and Angelina?"_ _said the unfamiliar guy while he pointed a finger at them both in surprise once he's close enough to see their faces (which caused Laina to chuckled at his surprise reaction)._ " _Together once again, huh? All right!" said the unfamiliar guy in a happy tone of voice as he butted arms with Cloud._

" _Are we really not that recognizable, Laina?" Angelina asked the younger version of Laina with a light frown on her face._

" _Only to him, Angelina." replied the younger version of Laina with a shrug of her shoulder._

" _Thanks." said Cloud as he smiled at the unfamiliar guy._ " _Hold on, Angie and I will go and get everyone now."_

 _Both the unfamiliar guy and the younger version of Laina_ (and the 2 translucent figures of Cloud and Angelina, Tifa and the current Laina) _watched as the 2 younger versions of Cloud and Angelina run off to find and round up the other infantrymen. A few minutes later, both the 2 younger versions of Cloud and Angelina managed to find the other infantrymen and all 4 of them lined themselves up in a straight line before the unfamiliar guy and the younger version of Laina. The 4 infantrymen immediately straighten when they heard and saw Sephiroth approaching and stopped in his tracks in front of them (while the younger version of Laina smiled inwardly when she noticed both Cloud and Angelina staring at Sephiroth with awed/admiration looks on both of their faces)._

 _"By the way," the unfamiliar guy decided to ask Sephiroth. "Where are we all going to?"_

 _Sephiroth turned to glance at the unfamiliar guy and told him his answer._ " _To Nibelheim."_

After Sephiroth told the unfamiliar guy about where they'll be going, the image/memory of Sephiroth, the unfamiliar guy, the younger version of Laina, the 4 infantrymen and the SOLDIER floor around the 2 translucent figures of both Cloud and Angelina, Tifa and Laina fade away and all 4 of them found themselves standing back on the central stone platform for the second time.

"We remember now, Laina. That's how both Cloud and I met you and that other SOLDIER guy for the first and second time a few years ago in Junon city and on the SOLDIER floor in Shinra company." said Angelina as she glance at Laina.

"Yes, the 2 of you did and I'm glad that you 2 finally remember about those old times." said Laina as she gave Angelina a small smile. "And do you 2 remember about who that guy is?" Laina asked both Cloud and Angelina.

"…No, we don't, Laina." replied Cloud as he shook his head at her. "But we feel like we're getting close to know who he is."

"Yeah." said Angelina with a nod of her head.

"I see." said Laina as a sad look appear on her face before she turned to look away from them. "The 2 of you are slowly getting better in remembering some of the things in the past, Cloud, Angelina. Come on, Tifa, on to the next one."

"Right, Laina." said Tifa as she nodded her head to Laina before the both of them left the central stone platform (while the 2 translucent figures of Cloud and Angelina turned and walked back toward the image/memory of the times they met Laina and the unfamiliar guy for the first and second time and sat down in front of it) and they walked down the next path toward an image/memory showing an old water well standing on the wooden tower in the middle of Nibelheim village as it floats above the smaller platform. Both Tifa and Laina stopped in their tracks behind Cloud and Angelina, who sat on the ground and staring into the image/memory of the old water well together. Both Cloud and Angelina slowly rose to their feets when they felt the presence of both Tifa and Laina standing behind them and they turned around to glance at them.

"That starry night sky near the old water well…" Angelina began saying to Tifa before she stop saying.

"And the promise the 3 of us make that night…" Cloud continue saying where Angelina left off to Tifa before he and Angelina slowly shook their heads. "Or is that memory the both of us have also a false memory as well?"

"Don't hurry, Cloud, Angie… Don't answer too quickly." said Tifa in a soft voice to the both of them while Laina watched them in silence. "Just keep checking all of those small emotions inside both of your minds and they'll slowly come back…" Tifa told both Cloud and Angelina. "Slowly… little by little… Right… like the sky that night… the heavens were filled with bright stars above us…"

Both Cloud and Angelina glance at Tifa for a few seconds before they nodded and closed their eyes to try to remember. As they do so, both Tifa and Laina then felt themselves got pull forward into the image/memory and all 4 of them soon found themselves standing together on the wooden tower near the old water well in the middle of the dark and silent Nibelheim village and under the night sky filled with bright stars. Both Tifa and Laina ignored the village around them and they glance at both Cloud and Angelina, who were standing with their backs to them and their heads lowered to stared down at the wooden planks under their feets.

"From the beginning… okay, Cloud, Angie?" Tifa told them both. "Try to remember slowly."

Right after Tifa's done talking to both Cloud and Angelina, both Tifa and Laina then saw 3 figures of a small boy and 2 small girls (which turns out to be Cloud, Angelina and Tifa when they were still childrens and both the child versions of Cloud and Angelina were wearing almost matching dark-coloured T-shirts and brown shorts with white shoes while the child version of Tifa is wearing a teal-green-coloured dress with matching shoes) appearing and sitting on the edge of the wooden tower between the 4 of them.

"That's right, Cloud, Angie. I was wearing this dress and shoes." said Tifa as she slowly nodded her head in approval (while Laina smiled when she saw the child figures of Cloud, Angelina and Tifa) before she turned her head to glance at the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina. "And sitting next to me is the 2 of you. The 3 of us were so small back then…" Tifa lapsed into silence, turned and sat down next to the child version of herself before the child version of herself turned her head to glance at the child versions of Cloud and Angelina.

"Sephiroth said to us back in that Nibelheim illusion…" Tifa began saying to both Cloud and Angelina. "That the 2 of you made up your memories by listening to my stories… Did the 2 of you imagine this starlit night sky?" said Tifa as she raised her head to glance up at the starlit night sky. "No, the 2 of you remembered it."

"Tifa's right, Cloud, Angelina." said Laina as she nodded her head in agreement with Tifa's words. "Some of those words that Sephiroth told us back then isn't true at all."

"Yeah, like what Laina just said, Cloud, Angie." said Tifa as she raised her knees up near her chest and closed her eyes. "That night, all of those bright stars in the sky were gorgeous. It was just the 3 of us sitting and talking on the wooden tower near the old water well behind us… And that's why I continued to believe that the 2 of you were the real Cloud and Angelina. I still believe that you two are the Cloud and Angelina from Nibelheim…"

As the current Tifa continue to talked to the current Cloud and Angelina, the child version of Cloud began to talk in silence to both the child versions of Tifa and Angelina for a few minutes before the child version of Cloud suddenly stood up, turned to his left and began to walked away from Laina, the current and child version of Tifa, pass the child version of Angelina (who raised her knees up near her chest to let him walked past her) and both the current Cloud and Angelina around the corner of the well toward the back and he appeared at the top of the well a few seconds later.

"But the 2 of you don't believe in yourselves…" continue Tifa as she turned her head to glance at both Cloud and Angelina sadly. "These memories aren't enough."

After Tifa's done talking to them both, the image/memory of the wooden tower, the old water well, the 3 child versions of Cloud, Angelina and Tifa and the dark and silent Nibelheim village around the 2 translucent figures of Cloud and Angelina, Tifa and Laina fade away and all 4 of them found themselves standing back on the central stone platform. Once they're back on the central stone platform, Tifa turned to glance at both Cloud and Angelina (while Laina watched them in silence).

"Cloud, Angie, what about both of your other memories?" Tifa asked them before she shake her head. "No, not memories. A memory is something that has to be consciously recalled, right? That's why sometimes it can be mistaken and a different thing…" Tifa trailed off, turned to look away from both Cloud and Angelina and began talking quietly to herself. "But it's different from the memories locked deep within both of their minds and hearts… That's why those memories must be fake ones. If Cloud and Angie could somehow recall up that memory…"

"I've an idea, Tifa." said Laina suddenly to Tifa and she glance at her. "What about some memories they both have that has anything to do with you?"

"What do you mean by that, Laina?" asked Tifa in a confused tone of voice to Laina.

"Like for example, a certain memory about you saying something to them and they don't remember it… But they saying something to you and you remember it." suggested Laina.

Tifa think deeply about what Laina just said/suggested to her before she nodded her head to Laina. "Hey, I think you might be right and that's a good idea you just suggested to me, Laina." Laina nodded her head to Tifa before Tifa turned to glance back at both Cloud and Angelina. "Cloud, Angie, talk to me. Try to remember slowly about anything, some important memories to the 2 of you…" Tifa trailed off and turned to look away from both Cloud and Angelina for the second time. "Now that I think about it, why did you want to leave Nibelheim and join SOLDIER in the first place, Cloud? And why do you want to leave with him, Angie? I always thought that the decisions the 2 of you made were quite sudden…" Tifa trailed off for the third time, turned her head to glance at both Cloud and Angelina and she (and Laina) saw that Cloud had a pained look on his face while Angelina's face flushed a little.

"I was very worried/concerned about Cloud leaving Nibelheim to go to Midgar to become a SOLDIER and that's why I decided to go with him." Angelina told Tifa softly.

"I see." said Tifa.

"… I was devastated… I wanted to be noticed." said Cloud softly to Tifa, Angelina (after she's done telling Tifa her reason for leaving Nibelheim years ago) and Laina. "I thought that if I got stronger, I could get 2 certain people to notice…"

"You wanted 2 certain people to notice you…?" said Tifa a in a confused tone of voice.

"…Like who, Cloud? Who are those 2 certain people?" Angelina asked Cloud as she glance at him (while Laina sighed and shake her head at how oblivious both Angelina and Tifa were).

Cloud sighed heavily before he glance at both Angelina and Tifa. "… You and Tifa, Angie."

"…The 2 of us?" said Angelina in a surprise tone of voice.

"But why!?" Tifa asked Cloud.

"Angie, Tifa… Have the 2 of you forgotten… about that day?" said the voice of a young boy suddenly from behind Tifa (which startled her) and Laina and they quickly turned around and saw the child version of Cloud sitting on the edge of a pillar next to the smaller platform with the image/memory of Nibelheim village floating above it and staring at them both with an alert/responsive look on his face and in his eyes.

"Cloud… we…" said Angelina as she slowly shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry… But what are you talking about?" Tifa asked Cloud as she slowly shook her head sadly as well.

Laina sighed and shake her head at both Angelina and Tifa for the second time.

The child version of Cloud sighed in dismay at both Angelina and Tifa before he stood up, jumped off the pillar he's standing on, landed right in the middle of the central platform and turned to glance at them. "No… that's all right, Angie, Tifa." said the child version of Cloud in a sad tone of voice to them both. "You were having quite a hard time back then, Tifa. You were so busy wallowing in your own grief and sadness while Angie try her best to cheer you up to no avail, it's only natural that the 2 of you don't remember me back then."

Both Tifa and Laina approach and stopped in their tracks in front of the child version of Cloud and glance down at him (while the 2 translucent figures of Cloud and Angelina turned around, sat back down and stared at the wooden tower with the old water well standing on it).

"Back then?" said Tifa in a confused tone of voice to the child version of Cloud.

"What do you mean by "back then", Cloud?" said the voice of a young girl from nearby the 3 of them and suddenly they saw a child version of Angelina appearing and standing next to the child version of Cloud and had a scowled look on her face.

Cloud glance and nodded his head at both Tifa and the child version of Angelina. "It's important to me… I hate to say it but… it's a very important memory to me… Do the 2 of you want to see it?" the child version of Cloud asked them both.

"Well…" said the child version of Angelina in a hesitating tone of voice.

"Don't hesitate, Angelina." said Laina. "Both you and Tifa should go and see what kind of memory is it. I'll stay here and wait until the 2 of you are done in seeing the memory which Cloud wanted to show you both."

Both Tifa and the child version of Angelina turned their heads to glance at Laina and slowly nodded their heads to her before they glance back at the child version of Cloud and they followed behind him down toward another path where another 2 translucent figures of Cloud and Angelina sitting down on the path and staring at the image/memory of a floating closed window above the smaller platform.

"… A sealed up secret… wish… Tender memories… that no one can ever know…" said the translucent figure of Cloud while the translucent figure of Angelina stay silent before they stood up and step away from the path to allowed Tifa and the child version of Angelina to pass. Tifa and the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina immediately walked down the path toward the smaller platform where the image/memory of the closed window is floating above it and they stopped in their tracks to stared at it (while Laina watched them from the central platform in silence).

"Do you 2 know where this closed window goes to, Angie, Tifa?" the child version of Cloud asked the child version of Angelina and Tifa, who shook their heads at him. "Fine… I'll go." the child version of Cloud told them both before he opened the closed window and glance at it.

As both the child version of Angelina and Tifa stared at the window after the child version of Cloud opened it, they suddenly found themselves standing inside a room, a room which is very familiar to Tifa.

"Isn't this Tifa's bedroom?" the child version of Angelina asked the child version of Cloud while Tifa look around her bedroom and saw that everything inside her bedrrom was just as she remembered it. From her large single-sized bed standing against the right wall next to the piano, her rectangular table with several books and papers lying on it standing against the left wall next to her small dressing table and cupboard and Tifa had a surprise look on her face when she saw the 2 translucent figures of Cloud and Angelina sitting on the wooden floor next to the cupboard and staring at the window on the wall to the left of the table, both of them not paying any attention to the 2 child versions of themselves and Tifa.

"That's right, Angie." replied the child version of Cloud with a nod of his head to Angelina before he glance at Tifa. "It was my first time here."

"Was… it?" Tifa asked the child version of Cloud in a confused tone of voice.

The child version of Cloud nodded his head to Tifa. "I only used to look at it from outside your house." the child version of Cloud told her and the child version of Angelina and before either of them could say something to him, a flash of bright white light suddenly appear in the room and fade away to reveal 5 more childrens inside the room with them. 2 of the kids Tifa (and the child version of Angelina) instantly recognized as herself and another child version of Angelina with 3 boys (who had sad/sympathetic looks on their faces) standing around the child versions of herself and Angelina as the child version of herself sat huddled in a corner with her back against the bed and near the window, her knees up near her chest, her head lying on her knees and her long hair covering her face while the child version of Angelina stay near her and try to console and cheer her up to no avail.

" _Hey, look! It's Cloud! He's coming!"_ _said 1 of the 3 boys suddenly to both the child versions of Tifa and Angelina as he and his 2 friends glance out the window. The child version of Angelina instantly stood up to glance out the window and she and the boy soon saw the child version of Cloud running toward the front gate of Tifa's house, stopped in his tracks and lifted his head to glance up at the window._

" _Hey, you're right, Alex! It is Cloud!" said the child version of Angelina to the boy named Alex._

 _"You think he wants to come in, Tifa?" Alex asked Tifa as he turned to glance down at her._

 _Tifa raised her head to glance up at Angelina and Alex in silence then lowered her head down to her knees again. Outside her house, the child version of Cloud decided to walk through the front gate toward the front door._

"Was that the first day you came to my house and into my room?" Tifa asked the child version of Cloud standing next to her and the child version of Angelina. He nodded his head to her and the child version of Angelina before she closed her eyes to think back about that day and she let out a small sigh when she finally remember. "… That's right, I remember now. You lived right near mine and Angie's house. But the 2 of us and the other kids didn't really get to know you at all at first. We've known you since we were kids and always thought that we were close…" Tifa lapsed into silence and let out another small sigh at the same time the child version of herself raised her head to glance up at the child version of Angelina and the 3 boys and shook her head slowly at them.

The current Tifa then took a few steps forward to the 2 child versions of herself, Angelina and the 3 boys, away from the other child versions/translucent figures of Cloud and Angelina and stopped in her tracks to glance at them. "Now that you mention it… both Angie and I don't recalled you ever being in my room with us…" said Tifa.

"You're right, Tifa." said the child version of Angelina before she turned to glance at the child version of Cloud standing next to her and asked him about it. "Why didn't you come in that time, Cloud?"

The child version of Cloud turned to look away from the child version of Angelina and answered her question. "That's because the 2 of you were always with this three-some boys."

"Oh, yeah, that's right." said the child version of Angelina with a nod of her head.

"I used to think that… all 3 of them were stupid." the child version of Cloud told them both.

"What!?" said Tifa as she turned to glance at the child version of Cloud with a shocked look on her face.

"Why would you say that, Cloud?" said the child version of Angelina, shocked as well.

"You were all so childish back then," said the child version of Cloud in a curt tone of voice to them both as he turned to scowled at them. "laughing at every stupid little thing."

"But we were childrens, back then." protested Tifa.

"Tifa's right, Cloud." said the child version of Angelina in agreement with Tifa.

"… Yeah, I know that." said the child version of Cloud in a guilt/sheepish tone of voice to them both. "I'm the one that was stupid." he admitted to them both. "To tell the truth, I really wanted to play with everyone, but I was never allowed into the group to play with you all. Then later on… I began to think that I was different… different from those stupid and immature kids. That then, maybe…" the child version of Cloud lapsed into silence and didn't say anymore words.


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter 68: Restoring Cloud and Angelina's memories part 3**

After he fell silent, the translucent figure of Cloud sitting next to Angelina in the far corner of the room suddenly wavered and both Tifa and the child version of Angelina watched as another shadowy figure of Cloud emerged out from the first figure of Cloud, stood up to approach and stand next to the child version of himself and glance at both Tifa and the child version of Angelina.

"Just maybe, they would invited me in." said the shadowy figure of Cloud to both Tifa and the child version of Angelina. "I thought that might happen, so I hung around…"

"I was so prejudiced. And… weak." said the child version of Cloud in a regretful tone of voice as he clenched his small hands tightly into fists and his body began to shake with anger.

"Oh, Cloud. Don't go thinking that you're weak." said the child version of Angelina in a consoling tone of voice to him.

"That night I called both Angie and you out to meet me near the old water well…" the shadowy figure of Cloud told Tifa and the child version of Angelina. "I initially thought to myself that the 2 of you would never come…. That you 2 hated me."

"What? Of course we wouldn't hate you, Cloud! Right, Tifa?" said the child version of Angelina as she glance at Tifa.

"Yeah, Angie." said Tifa as she nodded her head in agreement with the child version of Angelina. "It was so sudden when you called us both… we were a bit surprised. But… you were right when you said that we weren't THAT close, Cloud, but…" Tifa lapsed into silence and turned to look away from the shadowy figure of Cloud and the child version of Angelina. "After you and Angie left Nibelheim, I missed and thought about you 2 a lot. I used to wonder how Cloud and Angie were doing and I also wonder if Cloud was able to get himself into SOLDIER?" Tifa turned to look back at the shadowy figure of Cloud and the child version of Angelina. "Then I started reading the newspapers when I didn't received any letters from you and Angie, thinking that there might be some news or articles in there about you two."

"I never knew that you would missed and thought about the both of us that much after we left Nibelheim, Tifa." said the child version of Angelina in a sad tone of voice as she lowered her head to glance down at the floor of the bedroom. "And we're sorry that we didn't sent any letters to you."

"It's okay, Angie." said Tifa in a consoling tone of voice to the child version of Angelina.

"Thanks, Tifa." said the child version of Cloud as he turned to glance back at her with a gentle smile on his face. "Tell them what you told me and this Angie, later. I'm sure that they'll probably be so happy to hear it from you."

"Ok, Cloud!" said Tifa as she nodded her head happily to the child version of Cloud (while the child version of Angelina smiled at her) before she turned around to glance back at the child version of herself, the other child version of Angelina and the 3 boys standing around them both. "Huh? What happened on this day? Was it a special day?" said Tifa in a confused tone of voice to the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina.

"No, it's not a special day, Tifa." said the child version of Angelina as she glance at Tifa with a sad look on her face.

"Huh? What do you mean by th…" said Tifa in a more confused tone of voice as she turned to glance at the child version of Angelina before she finally remember and realised what day this image/memory had come from.

"This was the day…" the child version of Cloud began saying to Tifa sadly before he stops, unable to bring himself to say anymore.

"The day your mother, Teresa Lockhart is…" the shadowy figure of Cloud finished saying to Tifa.

"The day my mom died…" said Tifa in a sad/anguish tone of voice (while feeling tears appear and glisten in her eyes) before she turned to glance back at the child versions of herself and Angelina and the 3 boys standing around them both.

XXXX

" _I want… to see… my mom…"_ said the child version of Tifa in a sad/anguish tone of voice to the child version of Angelina and the 3 boys before she stood up from the floor, turned and run past the child version of Angelina and the 3 boys and out of her bedroom. The child version of Angelina and the 3 boys instantly turned around and run after her and the image/memory of Tifa's bedroom around the 3 figures of Cloud, the child version of Angelina and the current Tifa instantly warped and change into the image/memory of Nibel mountains (and all of them soon found themselves standing on a slightly winding and rocky path with the 5 kids near the bottom of Nibel mountains).

"… _I wonder if there's anything beyond those mountains?" asked Tifa curiously to herself as she, Angelina and the 3 boys stood on the path near the bottom of Nibel mountains._

" _Tifa, try to think this through for a second."_ _said Angelina in a worry/concern tone of voice to Tifa._ " _Those mountains are dangerous and could have monsters living on it."_

" _Angie's right, Tifa." said the first boy as he glance at Tifa and nodded his head in nervous agreement at Angelina._ " _Those Nibel mountains in front of us is scary and dangerous. Many people have died there."_

" _No one crosses over those mountains alive…"_ _said the second boy to Tifa._

" _How about those that died there?"_ _Tifa asked the second boy as she turned to glance at him with an earnest look in her eyes and spread her arms out._ " _Did my mama passed through those mountains too?"_ _said Tifa as she turned to look away from the second boy and look at the third boy for a few seconds before she turned and walked forward determinedly down the rocky path past Angelina and the first boy, stopped in her tracks in front of them both and raised her head to glance up at the mountains._

" _I'm going and that's that!" Tifa proclaimed to Angelina and the 3 boys standing behind her before she resumed walking forward down the rocky path._

" _Tifa, wait!"_ _protested Angelina as she swiftly followed after Tifa down the rocky path as well._

 _Two of the three boys immediately walked forward down the rocky path after Tifa and Angelina in a brave/confident manner, but the third boy decided to not followed after the 4 of them due to his great fear of the mountains and the monsters that live in the mountains. The third boy slowly walked backward on the path (while watching Tifa, Angelina and the 2 boys continue walking forward to the mountains) before he turned around and fled fearfully from the mountains._

 _The third boy run passed Cloud along the way, who had followed and decided to stayed far behind and out of sight of Tifa, Angelina and the 3 boys after he saw them leaving Tifa's house and heading toward the mountains outside his house. Cloud stopped in his tracks and watched with a surprise look on his face at the boy who run passed him and heading back to the village before he raised his head to glance up at the mountains, saw Tifa, Angelina and the 2 boys walking behind them had reached the mountains by now and he ran forward down the path after them without any hesitation._

 _Tifa, Angelina and the 2 boys behind them both kept on walking swiftly up the mountains until they reached a bridge which connects and hangs in the air between 2 mountains (and which looks very old and very unstable after many years). Tifa paid no attention to the old and unstable state of the bridge in front of her and she walked forward on the old bridge without any hesitation, with her mind full of thoughts about seeing her deceased mother again and completely also ignoring Angelina and the 2 boys walking onto the bridge behind her._

 _As Angelina and the 2 boys walked onto the bridge after Tifa, the 2 boys behind both Tifa and Angelina suddenly stopped in their tracks, turned to looked at each other with nervous/fearful looks on their faces before they nodded in unison and turned to run away from the bridge without calling out to Tifa and Angelina._

 _The 2 boys run passed Cloud (who had just reached the bridge), away from the bridge and down the mountain path without looking at him. Cloud turned to glance at the 2 boys running down the path with a surprise then shocked look on his face for leaving both Tifa and Angelina walking alone on the bridge before he turned to glance up at both Tifa and Angelina, who's still walking across the bridge and is completely unaware that the 3 boys following behind them had left them both walking alone on the bridge and run away. Cloud then run onto the bridge after Tifa and Angelina without hesitation to make sure that nothing happened to them both._

XXXX

As Tifa, the child version of Angelina and the 3 figures of Cloud watched on, the image/memory of the Nibel mountains and the bridge in front and around them warped and change into another different image/memory and Tifa found herself standing in a bright and vast white-coloured space with the child version of Angelina and the 3 figures of Cloud standing with her, all of them staring down at the 3 child versions of Cloud, Angelina and Tifa lying face down or on their backs on the white ground a few feet in front of them with dozens of bruises and bleeding cut wounds on their faces, arms and legs and dirt on their clothes.

"I don't remember the path I walked on back then." said the shadowy figure of Cloud in a sad tone of voice to the current child version of Angelina and the current Tifa standing near him and the other 2 figures of himself. "Both you and Angie missed your steps and fell from the bridge. I quickly ran toward the 2 of you… but I didn't reached you 2 in time and fell from the bridge with you 2 as well. Back then, I only scarred my arms and legs, but as for you two…"

The shadowy figure of Cloud fell silent when he, the other 2 figures of himself, the current child version of Angelina and the current Tifa watched as 2 short red-haired and black-haired men (which the current child version of Angelina and Tifa instantly recognized as both of their father when they're still young) wearing long sleeve T-shirts and long trousers came walking forward. When both of them saw Cloud, Angelina and Tifa lying on the ground with dozens of bruises, bleeding cut wounds and dirt on their faces, arms, legs and clothes, both of them instantly had shocked/worried looks on their faces before they run forward to the 3 kids, kneel down near both Angelina and Tifa and they gently lifted the 2 injured girls up in their arms.

" _Cloud! Why'd you bring our daughters to a dangerous place like this!" Angelina's father yelled angrily at Cloud, which caused him to twitched his body a little before he let out a groan of pain and slowly sat up._

" _What the hell's the matter with you!? What if they died!?"_ _Tifa's father yelled angrily at Cloud as well (who ignored his angry yelling and he glance at both Angelina and Tifa dirty and injured bodies with a fearful and guilty look on his face)._

Both Angelina and Tifa's father then yelled angrily at Cloud some more before they turned, walked away from Cloud and carried their dirty and injured daughters with them, leaving him staring fearfully/guiltily at their backs and sitting on the ground alone before he closed his eyes and clenched his hands into angry fists (while both the child version of Angelina and the current Tifa watched on in silence and felt a little ashamed/guilty about it).

"Tifa was in a coma for 7 days while Angie had a broken arm, broken leg and some broken ribs for more than 7 days." said the shadowy figure of Cloud in a sad/guilty tone of voice. "All of us thought that the 2 of you wouldn't make it, especially me. If only I got to you 2 fast enough, I could've saved you two… I felt so angry and guilty… Angry and guilty at myself for being slow and for my weakness. Ever since then and even after the 2 of you managed to get better, I felt that you 2 blamed me for it… and I soon find myself getting out of control. I'd get myself into fights with other kids, not caring about who they are."

The image/memory around them slowly faded away into darkness.

" _And that's when I heard the name Sephiroth for the first time from the other kids I beat up. And I started to think to myself that if I got strong like Sephiroth, then everyone might…"_

Both Tifa and the child version of Angelina found themselves standing on the path outside the image/memory of Tifa's bedroom window (which is closed now) with the 2 translucent and shadowy figure of Cloud (while the child version of Cloud has vanished into thin air and Laina had a slightly relieved look on her face when she saw them appearing out of the image/memory of the closed window before she make her way toward them).

"If I could just get stronger…" said the shadowy figure of Cloud as he shook and turned his head to look away from the child version of Angelina and Tifa. "Then maybe you 2 would noticed me…"

"So that's the reason on why you wanted to leave Nibelheim years ago…." said the child version of Angelina as she slowly nodded her head sadly.

"We're sorry, Cloud." said Tifa in a sad and apologetic tone of voice to the 2 translucent and shadowy figures of Cloud. "If me and Angie had only remembered more clearly about what happened that day in the past, the both of us could have done something sooner…"

"Yeah, Cloud. We're really sorry for it." said the child version of Angelina in an apologetic tone of voice as well.

"It's not both of your faults, Angie, Tifa." said the translucent figure of Cloud to the both of them as he shook his head.

"Cloud's right, you two." said Laina in a consoling tone of voice to both the child version of Angelina and Tifa. "There's no way that the 2 of you could have known about it so… you 2 shouldn't blamed yourselves too much about it."

Both the child version of Angelina and Tifa turned their heads to glance and nodded to Laina before Tifa turned to look away from them and to think deeply in her mind. "But, I remember back when the 3 of us were 7 or 8 years old! That's it! Now I know!" said Tifa with her eyes lit up in joy/relieved before she turned to glance back at them. "Both you and Angie weren't created by that twisted scientist 5 years ago. My childhood memories about you 2 weren't all made up! Hang in there, Cloud, Angie! Just a little bit longer! The 2 of you are almost there!"

"That's right, Cloud, Angelina." said Laina as she nodded her head to them. "The 2 of you are so close to finding and recovering your true selves. Come on, let's all head back to the image/memory of Nibelheim once again. To uncover and know the last of the truth."

The 2 translucent and shadowy figures of Cloud, the child version of Angelina and Tifa glance at Laina and nodded their heads to her before the shadowy figure of Cloud turned and approach the translucent figure of himself and merged together with him while the child version of Angelina warped then change into the adult version of herself. After both Cloud and Angelina are done in their merging and changing, they then run past both Tifa and Laina back to the central platform and down the path toward the smaller platform where the image/memory of Nibelheim village floated above it, with both Tifa and Laina following swiftly and closely behind them both.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina run straight into the image/memory of Nibelheim without hesitation and they soon found themselves standing (and watching with anger/sorrow looks on their faces) in the middle of a completely burned/destroyed buildings/village with some bodies of the villagers lying dead on the ground while few others who managed to survive try their best to put out the flames and helped other injured people while others cried for their dead families/friends.

Among the wailings of the survivors and the burning/smoking buildings, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina then saw the younger version of Laina came running out of the inn and glance at the burned/destroyed village around her with a horrified look on her face. The younger version of Laina then called out her friends names while she coughed then lifted her left hand to covered her nose and mouth from the smoke floating around her before she finally noticed the spiky black-haired unfamiliar guy (who was on one knee to the ground) as he try to help a person to sit up and the younger version of Laina swiftly turned to approach him and the person he's trying to help, saw that the person he's trying to help is Cloud before she saw the younger version of Angelina lying face-down on the ground not far from the unfamiliar guy and Cloud and the younger version of Laina quickly approach the younger version of Angelina and kneel down to helped her up. The 2 current figures of Cloud and Angelina instantly felt their heads began to buzzed/throbbed with pain (which both the current Laina and Tifa were unaware of) when they stared long and hard at the unfamiliar guy (with the Buster sword strapped to his back) and as they raised their hands to hold their buzzing/throbbing heads, the last missing piece of the puzzle fell into place inside their minds and both Cloud and Angelina finally remembered who the unfamiliar guy is.

"Za… ck… Za… ck… Zack." both Cloud and Angelina say the unfamiliar guy's name in a slow then clear tone of voice.

"Cloud, Angelina. The 2 of you finally remember who he is!" said the current Laina as she heard what the both of them just said and glance at both Cloud and Angelina with a happy/relieved look on her face.

"Hey, that's right, Cloud, Angie!" said Tifa as she glance at both Cloud and Angelina with a broad smile on her face as well. "It was Zack who came to Nibelheim with Laina and Sephiroth 5 years ago!"

"Keep going, Cloud, Angelina! The 2 of you are almost there in remembering everything!" said Laina in an encouraging tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina, who nodded to her before all 4 of them resumed watching both the unfamiliar guy named Zack and the younger version of Laina trying to helped the 2 younger versions of Cloud and Angelina.

" _What happened here, Angelina?"_ _Laina asked Angelina worriedly._ " _Who did this?"_

" _Seph… Sephiroth…"_ _Angelina mumbled the single word out to Laina and she widened her eyes in shocked upon hearing it from her._

" _Sephiroth did all this? No, that's not possible!"_ _said Laina in an unable to believe tone of voice._

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina then saw both Zack and the younger version of Laina tense their bodies a little before they slowly put both younger versions of Cloud and Angelina down on the ground, stood up and turned around and they (and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and the current Laina) saw Sephiroth standing within the flames with his head lowered and his Masamune sword in his left hand near the stairs leading towards the Shinra mansion or the Nibel mountains.

" _I'm coming to get you…"_ said Sephiroth to both Zack and Laina before he raised his head to glance up at them and they flinched back from the look of pure rage and malice in his eyes. Sephiroth then smiled evilly at both Zack and Laina before he turned around and walked away from the flames and up the stairs away from them. After Sephiroth walked up the stairs away from both Zack, Laina the burning village and its wailing/grieving villagers, they recovered their composures and exchange worried glances with each other before they turned to glance at the burning village and its wailing/grieving villagers behind them with despair looks on their faces before they look away and quickly run up the stairs in pursued of Sephiroth, with Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and the current Laina following behind them both.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and the current Laina run behind both Zack and the younger version of Laina up the Nibel mountains toward the mako reactor (and saw several bodies of dead monsters lying everywhere on the ground and correctly assumed that Sephiroth had killed them off), arrived and hurried through the mako reactor's entrance into a large red-coloured room filled with many pod-like devices and both Zack and the younger version of Laina had shocked/horrified looks on their faces when they saw Tifa lying on the ground on the left side of the room with a huge bleeding slash wound from her left shoulder down to her waist (while Cloud, Angelina, the current Tifa and Laina had sorrow looks on their faces when they saw the huge bleeding slash wound on the body of the younger version of Tifa).

" _Tifa! Hold on!" said Laina out loud to Tifa in a worry tone of voice as she quickly approach and kneel down near her and pulled out a Curaga materia out from her pocket and casted it on Tifa's wound. Laina then let out a relieved breath when she saw the bleeding stops and the wound closes on Tifa's body before she put the Curaga materia back into her pocket._

" _Sephiroth did this to you too, didn't he?" Zack asked Tifa as he approach and kneel down near her and Laina. Tifa slowly raised her head to glance at Laina first then at Zack (who held his hand out to her) before she turned to look away from them both, her body shaking in anger and fear. Both Zack and Laina stared at Tifa's shaking body with sad/angry looks on their faces before they slowly stood up, walked away from her and began making their way up the stairs but before they could reached the top, Tifa's words of hate stopped them in their tracks._

" _I hate you both! I hate Shinra, I hate SOLDIER! I hate you all!"_

 _Zack gritted his teeth and clench both of his hands into angry fists while Laina lowered her head in sadness when they felt each of Tifa's words pierced and stung them deeply to their core before they recovered their composure, went up the remaining few steps toward the sealed up door with the word "Jenova" written above it and Zack grabbed the Buster sword from behind him and with a loud yell, he swung his sword to smashed the "Jenova" door to pieces before both he and Laina went through the now opened doorway and into the "Jenova" room_ (and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina went up the stairs and into the room after them both).

 _Once Zack and Laina_ (and also Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina) _are inside the "Jenova" room, they noticed that the room had many grey, red and blue-coloured wires and tubes around them, all of them being connected/hooked up toward some kind of robot in the shape of a female. And standing on a huge red cord before the female robot with his back to them, was Sephiroth himself._

" _Mother, let's take back the planet together. I… I had an epiphany." Sephiroth spoke to the female-like robot before him in a tone of soft tenderness. "Let's go to the "Promised Land" together… Mother…"_

 _Sephiroth!" Zack and Laina cried out angrily at him at the same time._

" _What did you find out in the underground basement inside the Shinra mansion that's so bad that you had to killed those innocent townspeople back there at Nibelheim?" added Laina in anger to Sephiroth's back, demanding an answer from him._

" _Furthermore, why did you hurt Tifa? Answer us, Sephiroth!" Zack yelled at him again._

 _Sephiroth didn't answer their questions and started chuckling to himself instead. "Mother, they're here again. You should have been the one to ruled this planet. You were stronger than them, smarter than them. But then they came… those inferior, lowly dullards…" said Sephiroth as he glared past his shoulder at both Zack and Laina, who silently glared back at him. "They came and took this planet away from you. But you don't have to be sad anymore, mother. For I'm with you now…" said Sephiroth again as he turned his gaze away from Zack and Laina, back toward the female robot before him and he reached up to grasp its metallic wings before he ripped it away. Cords which connects around the female robot toward something behind it began to snapped apart and emitted statics while a kind of dark liquid began pooling out of the female robot empty eye sockets and mouth. Sephiroth ignored the statics and the dark liquid, tossed the female robot away before raising his head to gazed up at the "thing" (which turns out to be a huge mako pod with a woman inside) before him with a joyful/relieved look on his face._

" _We meet at last, mother…" said Sephiroth as he stared at the woman within the huge mako pod and both Zack and Laina saw her too and they wished that they hadn't (_ same goes for Cloud, Angelina and Tifa when they saw the "woman" inside the huge mako pod except Laina who glared at the "woman") _. The "woman" which Sephiroth called "mother" seconds ago had bluish grey-coloured skin on her entire body, bright pinkish eyes, had long waist length silver-coloured hair floating with the mako water behind her like Sephiroth, a metal helmet on her head with the word "JENOVA" on it and several grotesque looking reddish-like organs on her legs and sticking out (or connected) behind her back._

 _Before Sephiroth could do anything, Zack had sprinted up the huge red cord toward him, raised his sword and placed it against the right side of Sephiroth's face. Sephiroth noticed it and didn't move an inch. Neither did Laina as she continue on watching them both and the creature inside the mako pod._

" _Sephiroth! Have you completely lose your mind!?" Zack said out loud to him again._

 _Sephiroth didn't say anything for a few seconds until he turned around swiftly and knocked Zack's sword away with his Masamune. Zack grunted when the impact knocked him down several steps away from Sephiroth and Laina gasped before she moved forward to him. Zack hold his arm out (while glancing over his shoulder at her) to reassured her before turning his gaze back to Sephiroth._

" _Sephiroth, we trusted you!" Zack growled out at him before he jumped from the red cord, raised his sword to strike down on Sephiroth but he got blocked and knocked away from him by his Masamune. Laina watched with worry/fear on her face as Zack got knocked away by Sephiroth again and he fell into the room below. Sephiroth soon jumped down after him and Laina quickly followed suit after them both, intending to help Zack out._

After Sephiroth, Zack and the younger version of Laina jumped down into the room below, the image/memory of the Jenova room around Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina warped and change into a different kind of room and Cloud, Angelina and Tifa watched with shocked/horrified looks on their faces (while Laina had a sad look on her face) as both Zack and the younger version of Laina fought fiercely against Sephiroth until Sephiroth uses his "Heartless Angel" limit break on the younger version of Laina, causing her to fall to the floor and gasping for breath and Zack quickly pushed Sephiroth away with his sword before he turned and rushed toward her, lifted her up and slung her over his shoulder (and also take her sword while dodging Sephiroth strikes at him and Laina) before he jumped away from Sephiroth up to the room above and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and the current Laina soon found themselves standing in the Jenova room again and they saw both Zack and the younger version of Laina arrived and landed on the floor of the Jenova room before Zack slowly put the younger version of Laina down from his shoulder and he pull a Curaga materia out of his pocket to healed/restored her up. But before he could do so, Sephiroth was suddenly in front of both him and the younger version of Laina and he swung his sword at Zack, who dropped his Curaga materia and quickly grabbed hold of his sword to blocked against Sephiroth's sword strike before him but the strike prove to be too much for Zack and he got flung out of the room.

" _Zack!" Laina cried out to him when she saw Sephiroth flung him out of the "Jenova" room and just as she was about to get up and go after him, she felt Sephiroth's hand clasped tightly on her neck and he lifted her up before him. She glared at him (while trying to pried his hand open from her neck with her hands) and he glared back at her before he raises his Masamune and thrust it mercilessly through her chest_ (which cause Cloud to widen his eyes and both Angelina and Tifa to gasped in horror) _. Laina cried out in pain and he retracted his blade out of her body before he released his tight hold on her neck and watched coldly as she fall face-down to the floor, her blood began to pool out beneath her from her wound. Sephiroth then turned away from her and begun making his way up the red cord toward his "mother"._


	69. Chapter 69

**Chapter 69: Restoring Cloud and Angelina's memories final part**

 _The sound of footsteps entering the room make the younger version of Laina lifted her head slowly and she opened her eyes to see who is it (_ same goes for Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and the current Laina) _despite the pain on her chest (and the lingering effect of "Heartless Angel" on her) and was slightly surprised to see that it's both the younger versions of Cloud and Angelina, who stared angrily at Sephiroth's back._

 _As for Sephiroth, he was unaware of their presence behind him since he had his attention entirely on his "mother" before him and Cloud took the opportunity of Sephiroth being distracted to noticed them by reaching for the Buster sword near him, grasped its handle and pulled it out from the floor before he raised and hold it in both of his hands and he began charging up the red cord toward Sephiroth (who's still unaware of them) and stabbed him through with it, while at the same time making a crack appear on the mako pod before him._

 _Caught by surprise, Sephiroth turned to look over his shoulder to see who attacked him and he saw that it's one of the infantrymen. The infantrymen who stabbed him from behind then pulled the sword out of him and he slowly fell to his knees._

 _Cloud then step away from Sephiroth, turned and walked down the red cord toward Angelina who's now trying to helped Laina up slowly and gently and he helped her and Laina both and they began to walked slowly out of the room._

" _Zack…" Laina moaned out in pain and anguish when she saw him lying face-down on the stairs. Zack heard her, slowly lifted his head to look up at her and he saw the bleeding wound on her chest._

" _Laina…" Zack moaned back to her, in pain and anguish too. With a sad look on her face at both Zack and Laina, Angelina slowly put Laina down near Zack (who gave her a weak yet grateful look) before she quickly make her way past the 2 of them down the stairs toward Cloud, who's now had Tifa in his arms._

" _How is she, Cloud?" Angelina asked him while glancing worriedly down at Tifa._

 _Cloud glance up at her and he answered her question. "She's fine now, Angie. Just unconscious."_

 _Angelina let out a relieved breath. "I'm glad."_

 _Suddenly, all 4 of them heard footsteps and Cloud, Angelina, Zack and Laina lifted their heads to see Sephiroth staggering weakly out of the room with his Masamune in his left hand while holding/cradling the "Jenova" head in his right hand. He stopped in his tracks and looked down at both Cloud and Angelina with hatred in his mako eyes._

" _How dare you…!" Sephiroth snarled at them._

 _Both Cloud and Angelina return their own looks of hatred back at Sephiroth tenfold before they heard Zack talking to them from the stairs._

" _Cloud… finish Sephiroth off…"_

 _Cloud nodded to Zack and he gave Angelina an "watch-over-Tifa" look before he passed Tifa over to Angelina and he picked up the Buster sword next to him. "SEPHIROTH!" Cloud yelled up at him angrily before he run and jumped high up from the stairs while raising the Buster sword to strike him down. Sephiroth watch him coming and he raised his Masamune above him to blocked against Cloud's strike on him before he swung his blade and flung Cloud back into the room he came out from a few seconds ago._

" _Cloud!" Zack, Laina and Angelina yelled out in fear when they saw Sephiroth flung Cloud into the room with his blade and Angelina put Tifa down before she run up the stairs. Laina saw Angelina run up the stairs past her and Zack toward Sephiroth, who heard her coming for him and he turned to faced her and use his blade to stabbed her through her chest, which make her cried out in pain_ (and make Tifa gasped and covered her mouth in horror) _._

" _No! Angelina!" Laina yelled out again when she saw Sephiroth stabbed Angelina through her chest with his blade before he pulled it out of her and Laina watched helplessly as Angelina fell back down the stairs past her and Zack while Sephiroth turned around and went back into the room to finish Cloud off._

" _No, stop it, Sephiroth!" said Laina as she see Sephiroth went into the room and she tried to get up to help Cloud but was unable due to her wound to before unconsciousness claimed her and she closed her eyes._

 _XXXX_

 _Cloud, alone with the Buster sword he's holding, landed heavily on the floor inside the room and he's unable to get up. Sephiroth approach him, glared angrily down at Cloud before he raised his sword and stabbed him as well._

" _Ugh, ahhh!" Cloud cried out from the pain of Sephiroth's sword strike before he felt himself being lifted up painfully by Sephiroth._

" _Don't you… test me!" Sephiroth growled at Cloud, who lifted his head and glared at Sephiroth before he grabbed Sephiroth's sword with both of his hands and dragged himself down until his feet touch the floor. He then lifted Sephiroth up off the floor with the blade still in his chest._

" _No, impossible!" said Sephiroth as he stared in shocked at Cloud, who managed to lifted him up despite being stabbed by his blade. With a yell, Cloud flung Sephiroth and his blade away from him and Sephiroth crashed against the wall heavily before he (and the "Jenova" head he's holding) fell down to the depths below._

 _XXXX_

 _Outside of the room, Zack struggled to lift himself up from the stairs and glance up when he heard footsteps coming out again and he saw that it's Cloud. Cloud stagger weakly out of the room, his hand holding the wound on his chest before he collapsed and fell down the stairs near Zack, Laina and Angelina._

" _Cloud… well done…" Zack groaned out to him before he weakly turned his gaze to Laina and he slowly pulled her close to him before he passed out with them._

"So that's what actually happened after he slash me with his sword before I passed out…" whispered Tifa with an awestruck look on her face at Cloud, Angelina and Laina as she finally realizes and knows the real truth. "The 2 of you were there with me, Laina, Zack and… Sephiroth. Watching me the whole time and try to protect me outside the mako reactor when those bad people came and attack me."

Right after Tifa's done saying to both Cloud and Angelina and fell silent, the image/memory of the mako reactor inner reddish-coloured pod room warped and change and all 4 of them now found themselves standing outside the mako reactor and they watched as a group of 3 degrading copies (G-deleter and G-legions) were attacking both Cloud and Angelina, who were trying to protect Tifa from them. Both Cloud and Angelina raised their assault rifles to opened fire on the 3 degrading copies and the copies dodged the bullets before 1 of the 2 G-legion copy casted a fierce Firaga magic at Cloud which struck him dead-on and he fall to the ground while the G-deleter copy raised and swung its scythe weapon down on Angelina, destroying her assault rifle and causes a huge bleeding gash wound to appear on her stomach before she fell to the ground as well (while holding her bleeding stomach wound with both of her arms).

" _Goddamn it!" Zack snarled in anger at the G-copies before he pulled out his Buster sword from behind him and charge down the stairs to engage the 3 G-copies in battle. As for Laina, she too began making her way swiftly down the stairs toward the injured Cloud and Angelina, slowly and gently pulled them close together before taking out the Curaga materia from her pocket and began casting it on their wounds, with Tifa standing near her (away from the battle) and giving the both of them worried look. Soon Zack defeated the 3 G-copies and Laina's done healing them both and put the Curaga materia back into her pocket. She heard Tifa gave out a relieved sigh as she kneel down next to her. Zack soon approach the 4 of them and he got down on one knee for a closer look at both Cloud and Angelina._

" _How are they, Laina?" Zack asked her worriedly._

" _They're both fine now, Zack." replied Laina, glancing worriedly at both Cloud and Angelina._

" _They… tried to protect me…" Tifa told them both and they nodded grimly at her._

" _We know, Tifa." said Laina. "Come on, let's helped them both up and bring them back to the village."_

" _And stay close to us, Tifa." added Zack and Tifa nodded before she and Laina slowly helped both Cloud and Angelina up and they began to make their way down the mountain, with Zack close by and on alert for any enemies or monsters._

"The 2 of us were there and we saw everything." said Angelina. "You were right, Laina. Both Cloud and I were never members of SOLDIER like you, Zack and Sephiroth, we were infantrymen. Zack was your partner, not us both. But even so… the 4 of us… were friends."

After Angelina's done talking to Laina, the image/memory around the 4 of them warped and change into yet another different image/memory and they found themselves standing inside a slightly large Shinra truck and staring at Sephiroth, Zack, Laina and 2 infantrymen as all 5 of them sat opposite each other at the back of the truck while a third infantryman is sitting and driving at the front of the truck.

" _It sure is raining quite hard…" said Zack as he turned his head to look out of the truck window._

" _Yeah, we know that, Zack." said Laina, sighing. "That's the 5th, 6th time you've said it to us."_

 _Zack scowled at Laina while Angelina chuckled at both Zack and Laina's words and reactions to each other before she turned her head to glance at Cloud (who's sitting to her left) and she saw that he's looking quite anxious and his body trembled a little. He also looked a little pale and sick. "You all right, Cloud? Got motion sickness again?" Angelina asked him worriedly._

" _Yeah, Angie." replied Cloud. "And don't you worry about me, Angie, I'm fine."_

" _Hey, Cloud. If you're feeling sick then why don't you take that helmet off?" Zack suggested to Cloud when he saw how pale and sick Cloud is._

" _Yeah, Zack. I think I'll do just that…" said Cloud with a nod of his head to Zack before he unclip, took off and put his helmet down on his lap._

"Yeah… that's right….. those 2 infantrymen sitting in the back of the truck with you, Zack and Sephiroth… were us." said Cloud to Laina before he and Angelina sighed and turned their heads to look away from both Tifa and Laina. "The 2 of us… never made it into SOLDIER before the tragedy in Nibelheim happened. The 2 of us even left our hometown together right after I told you and Angie and everyone else in the village that I was going to join SOLDIER, but… the 2 of us, especially me, were so embarrassed about being unable to join SOLDIER and when we came back to our hometown, we decided to keep silent about it and refused to see Tifa and everyone else."

"… But even so… the 2 of you did came to help me, Laina and Zack when we were in trouble, injured and unconscious inside the mako reactor." said Tifa as she glance and gave a small smile at both Cloud and Angelina.

"Yeah, we did, Tifa, Laina. But…" said Angelina sadly before she trailed off into silence.

"We're sorry that… we didn't get there… fast enough…" Cloud continued where Angelina left off.

"It's all right… Cloud, Angie." said Tifa in a reassuring tone of voice to them both while Laina silently nodded her head in agreement with Tifa.

A bright white light then appear and engulfed Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina in its brightness and causes the image/memory of Sephiroth, Zack and the 3 younger versions of Laina, Cloud and Angelina sitting inside the large Shinra truck to fade away and all 4 of them found themselves standing for the final time on the central platform inside the Lifestream. Both Tifa and Laina then look at both Cloud and Angelina and saw that the 2 of them had change into child versions of themselves once again.

"Cloud… Angie…" Tifa began saying then lapsed into silence, not knowing what else to say to her 2 childhood friends. Both child versions of Cloud and Angelina then raised their heads to glance up at both Tifa and Laina and they smiled at them.

"Then… this is goodbye, Tifa and Laina." the child version of Angelina softly told them both.

"Until we meet again…" the child version of Cloud softly told them both as well before both he and Angelina turned to look away from them.

After the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina turned to look away from both Tifa and Laina, the 6 translucent figures of other Cloud and Angelina sitting on the various paths which leads toward the other floating images/memories of their pasts slowly rose to their feets and turned their backs on the floating images/memories to faced the child versions of Cloud and Angelina in unisons.

"…!?" exclaimed Tifa as she glance around at the other standing translucent figures of Cloud and Angelina with a surprised look on her face while Laina merely glance at them in silence.

The 6 translucent figures of other Cloud and Angelina then walked forward down the paths until they stepped onto the central platform, approach and walked past both Tifa and Laina and stopped in their tracks in front and around the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina. The first 2 translucent figures of Cloud and Angelina standing behind the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina then stepped forward and merged/combined with the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina (which causes them to flicker and ripple a little). The second and third pairs of the translucent figures of the other Cloud and Angelina standing on the left and right of the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina soon followed suit after the first pair and they merged/combined with the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina.

After the 6 translucent figures of the other Cloud and Angelina merged/combined with the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina, their bodies began to glow with a bright light which nearly caused both Tifa and Laina to cover their eyes with their hands from the brightness and they watched as the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina slowly raised their right hands above their heads and both Tifa and Laina raised their heads to look up and saw as the 2 final floating translucent figures of the other Cloud and Angelina (who's still writhing and holding their heads with their hands in great pain) slowly descended down to the central platform in front of the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina and they slowly rose to their feets and merged/combined together with them. After the 2 final translucent figures of the other Cloud and Angelina merged/combined with the 2 child versions of Cloud and Angelina, their bodies glowed even brighter and causes both Tifa and Laina to cover their eyes and faces with their hands from the brightness this time before the bright light slowly dimmed down and fade away and both Tifa and Laina lowered their heads, opened their eyes to look at both Cloud and Angelina and saw them lying face-down on the ground of the central platform. Just 1 Cloud and 1 Angelina, the Cloud and Angelina that they knew.

"Cloud! Angelina!" said both Tifa and Laina in worried tone of voices as they quickly approach and kneel down near them both.

Both Cloud and Angelina heard Tifa and Laina's worried voice calling to them before they suddenly felt their bodies and their heads began to twitched and throbbed in pain due to the side-effects of their merging/combining with the other translucent figures of themselves a few seconds ago and they began groaning in pain and raised their hands to clutched their throbbing heads.

"Uh… Ah, Uh…!" Cloud moaned in pain.

"Ugh… Ngh…!" Angelina moaned in pain as well.

"Hold on, Cloud, Angie!" said Tifa worriedly.

"Try to hold on, Cloud, Angelina!" said Laina. "We know that the 2 of you can get through this!"

After another few seconds, the painful twitching in their bodies and the throbbing in their heads came to a stop and both Cloud and Angelina became very still and silent. Both Tifa and Laina felt their hearts slowly sank into despair when they saw how still and silent Cloud and Angelina were then they gasped in surprise when they heard and saw both Cloud and Angelina take some deep breaths before they slowly push themselves up from the platform ground with their hands, sat themselves backward on the platform ground, blinked their weary mako-blue and violet-coloured eyes and slowly shook their heads for a few seconds before they turned their heads to glance at both Tifa and Laina kneeling on the ground near them.

"Uh…. Tifa… Laina…" said both Cloud and Angelina weakly to both Tifa and Laina.

"Oh, Cloud, Angie…!" said Tifa in a relieved tone of voice while tears appear and glisten in her eyes. "It's really the 2 of you, isn't it?"

"Yeah… Tifa… It's really us…" said Angelina as she smiled weakly at Tifa and Laina.

"The 4 of us… finally meet again…" said Cloud as he smiled weakly at Tifa and Laina as well.

"Thank Gaia! You 2 got through this!" said Laina in a relieved tone of voice before both she and Tifa helped both Cloud and Angelina to slowly stand up from the platform ground.

"You 2 stupid jerks!" Tifa snapped in mock anger at both Cloud and Angelina. "You 2 had us all worried sick!"

"Krgh, Ugh…!" groaned both Cloud and Angelina suddenly before they fell to their knees and clutched their throbbing heads (while their faces slowly turned pale) with their hands for the second time. Both Tifa and Laina immediately had terrified looks on their faces before they kneel down near them both.

"What's wrong now, Cloud, Angelina!?" asked Laina in a worried/fearful tone of voice.

"Cloud, Angie, are you 2 all right!?" said Tifa in a worried/fearful tone of voice as well.

"T-The voices…" groaned Angelina as she slowly glance up at Laina then glance back down on the platform ground.

"T-Their…" said Cloud through gritted teeth at Tifa.

"Oh, that's right… We forgot that we're still in the Lifestream." said Tifa as both she and Laina soon heard the loud cries/wails of the Planet from all around them and which caused both Cloud and Angelina to writhe and clutched their throbbing heads in great pains.

"Then we shouldn't stay here any longer, Tifa." said Laina as she glance at Tifa (who glance and nodded her head at Laina) before she glance down at both Cloud and Angelina. "Come on, Cloud, Angelina, let's leave this place and go back. Back to everyone else that's waiting for us…"

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Laina…" said Angelina in a weak and agreeing tone of voice as she slowly lowered her hands from her head (which is no longer throbbing in pain).

"Yeah, Angie, Tifa and Laina. Come on, let's all go back to them…" said Cloud as he lowered his hands from his head and shook his head a little to blocked out the cries/wails of the Planet around the 4 of them before both Tifa and Laina slowly helped both Cloud and Angelina to stand up from the platform ground for the second time.

The central platform which Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina are standing on and the various paths which connects with the central platform and leads off toward the dozens of images/memories about their pasts slowly vanished from their sights and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina began to felt their bodies slowly floated upward through the Lifestream (which ceased its cries/wails of pain) and as they raised their heads to look up, they saw the warm and bright sunlight of the world above which grow larger as they floated closer toward the surface of the Lifestream before they finally burst up from beneath the surface of the Lifestream, heard the loud and relieved voices of their friends/companions and the sounds of several loud splashes nearby them before they felt some people grabbing each of them and quickly dragged all 4 of them away from the Lifestream water and toward the shore.

"Sister! Thank Gaia that you're alright!" said Phemie in a very relieved tone of voice to Laina before she gave her a tight hug after Crisis grabbed and dragged Laina toward the shore (while Kunsel, Barret and Vincent grabbed hold of Cloud, Angelina and Tifa and dragged the 3 of them toward the shore at the same time).

"Yeah, Phemie. And I'm sorry that I make you worry about me again." said Laina in an apologetic tone of voice as she hugged Phemie back.

"Seriously, sister! Don't you ever make me worry about you again! If you do then I'll never forgive you." said Phemie in a mock threaten tone of voice to Laina.

"Yeah, I know you will, Phemie." said Laina before both she and Phemie pull away from their hugs. "Cloud, Angelina and Tifa… Where are they, Phemie?" Laina asked Phemie worriedly.

"They're right behind you, Laina. Don't you worry about them so much." Crisis answered Laina's question and Laina turned to look behind her and sighed in relieved when she saw Cloud, Angelina and Tifa lying on the ground with their eyes closed and had peaceful/happy looks on their faces.

"Thank Gaia all 3 of them are alright." said Laina in a relieved/happy tone of voice before she suddenly felt a wave of weariness suddenly come upon her and she closed her eyes, fell backward onto the ground and became still.

"Sister? Sister…!" said Phemie in a worried tone of voice when she saw Laina suddenly fell backward onto the ground and became still (same goes for Kunsel).

XXXX

"I'm quite proud of you, Laina." said Yakumo in a proud/approving tone of voice as she glance down at Laina, who's currently resting on her lap. "Both you and Tifa try your very best in restoring Cloud and Angelina's shattered memories and told them both the real truth just like I told you to."

Laina slowly opened her eyes and glance up at Yakumo (and also noticed that the 2 of them are back on the wide open plains of Banora with the huge dumbapple tree behind them once again). "Yeah, you did, Yakumo and both Tifa and I felt very glad that we finally told them both the real truth." said Laina.

"Yeah and both you and Tifa did a really great job, Laina." said Yakumo as she smiled at Laina. "Now why don't you close your eyes and get some rest, Laina? You deserved it."

"Yeah, I think I'll do so, Yakumo…" said Laina before she trailed off and closed her eyes while Yakumo watched Laina fell asleep in silence.


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter 70: Apologies and planning their next move**

A few hours later, both Cloud and Angelina were standing together at the head of the long and large rectangular table with their backs to their friends/companions in the Operation/meeting room inside the Highwind airship (Tifa, Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel, Red XIII and Vincent standing at their left while Barret, Cid, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter, Selwyn and Yuffie standing at their right) after the both of them, Tifa and Laina regained their consciousness and they leave Mideel together. Both Cloud and Angelina sighed and shook their heads a little before they slowly turned around to glance at their friends/companions, who stood around the long and large rectangular table and watching them both.

"First of all, everyone… We're sorry." Cloud apologized to them all.

"The 2 of us don't know what to say to all of you…" Angelina apologized to them all as well.

"The 2 of you don't have to say anything, Cloud, Angelina." said Red XIII as he glance at Cloud and Angelina. "All the 2 of you have been doing after you , Tifa and Laina regained consciousness is apologizing to us."

"Red XIII's right, Cloud, Angelina." said Laina as she nodded her head in agreement to Red XIII words. "The 2 of you don't have to be sorry to all of us. Me and Tifa should be the ones to apologize to the both of you for not telling you both the entire truth due to the both of us being afraid that if we tell you both the entire truth, it would break both of your minds."

"Yeah, like what Laina just said, Cloud, Angie." said Tifa sadly to both Cloud and Angelina. "We're really sorry about it."

"Yeah, the 2 of you should have told us both the truth long ago, Tifa, Laina. But after we think through about it, we understand the reason on why the 2 of you didn't tell us the truth so don't you 2 worry about it. We don't blamed you 2 very much now." said Angelina.

"Thank you, Angie." said Tifa as she gave a small smile to Angelina while Laina sighed in relieved before they fell silent and let both Cloud and Angelina resumed their talks.

"The 2 of us were never members of SOLDIER like Laina and Kunsel here." Cloud began saying/telling to their friends/companions while he and Angelina glance at both Laina and Kunsel standing to their left. "We made up the stories about what happened to us 5 years ago, about the both of us being in SOLDIER. I left my hometown looking for glory while Angie decided to tag along with me, but we never made it into SOLDIER…" Cloud trailed off, let out a sigh of dismay (while Angelina patted his shoulder to console him) before he resumed telling them. "I was so ashamed of being so weak and Angie, she try her best to cheer me up when she saw how down and ashamed I was until I met and became close friends with 2 SOLDIER 1st class named Zack Fair and Laina Donovan while we're being sent on a mission to Modeoheim a few days later. They told and encouraged me that someday I'll be a soldier like them both… And a few years later both Angie and I created illusions of ourselves made up of what we had seen in our lives… And the 2 of us continue to play the charade as if it were true to us both."

"Holy Goddess of Gaia, that's kind of messed up…" said Selwyn as he frowned darkly at both Cloud and Angelina.

"Illusion, huh? Pretty damn strong for a 'lusion, I'd say." said Barret.

Both Cloud and Angelina turned to glance at Barret and nodded their heads in agreement to him. "Cloud's body is physically built like those people in SOLDIER." Angelina began saying/telling them all. "Hojo's twisted plan to turned me, Cloud, Zack and Laina into Sephiroth's copies wasn't that difficult. It was just the same procedure they use when creating members of SOLDIER. For all of you see, any man or woman in SOLDIER isn't simply just exposed to Mako energy. All of their bodies were actually injected with Jenova cells…" Angelina suddenly trailed off and Cloud pick up where she left off.

"For better or worse, only those who are strong mentally and physically can enter SOLDIER, like Laina and Kunsel here and it has nothing to do with the Jenova Reunion. But weak people… like me and Angie, lost our mind in the whole procedure thing." Both Cloud and Angelina turned to look away from their friends/companions and raised their heads to look up at the ceiling. "The combination of Jenova cells, Sephiroth's strong will, and both of our weaknesses are what created us both. All of you knew that. We're… Cloud and Angelina." Cloud trailed off to lowered and shook his head a little before he lifted his head to glance at them. "… the masters of our own fake illusionary world. But thanks to Tifa and Laina, they saved and pulled us both out of our fake illusionary world, restored our shattered memories/minds and as of this moment, the 2 of us are going to live our lives without pretending to be someone else."

"Well said, Cloud!" said Laina as she (and both Angelina and Tifa) smiled proudly at him.

"The 2 of you are really messed up, alright! Cloud, Angie!" said Tifa.

"That means the 2 of you ain't any different from before!" said Barret in a mock teasing tone to both Cloud and Angelina which caused Tifa, Phemie, Nina, Carter, Selwyn and Yuffie to smiled and chuckle at Barret's words.

"By the way, Cloud, Angelina." said Cait Sith to both Cloud and Angelina (after Tifa, Phemie, Nina, Carter, Selwyn and Yuffie ceased their smiling and chuckling). "What are the 2 of you going to do now? Don't tell me that you 2 are leaving us and the airship?"

"What? Of course we're not leaving you guys!" said Angelina as she scowled at Cait Sith for saying those words to her and Cloud.

"Angie's right, Cait Sith… Plus the 2 of us are mostly responsible on handing the Black Materia to Sephiroth and letting him summoned Meteor to destroyed this Planet." said Cloud as he turned to glance at Cait Sith then at the rest of their friends/companions. "That's why we're going to do everything in our powers to fight Sephiroth and prevent meteor from destroying this Planet."

"Good!" said Barret in a loud and approving tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina. "Then that means that you and your 2 female buddies are gonna keep fightin' to save this Planet!?"

"Yeah, that's right, Barret." said Cloud as he nodded his head in agreement at Barret.

"It's like you always told me, Cloud and Tifa before, Barret." said Angelina as she glance at Barret.

A confused look appear on Barret's face when he heard what Angelina just told him before he finally remember/realised what she meant by those words. "Oh, uh, you mean that!" said Barret as he raised his left hand to scratch his head a little.

"What are you guys talking about? I don't understand!" said Red XIII as he glance back and forth at both Angelina and Barret in confusion.

"Neither do I!" said Selwyn, confused as well.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret glance at both Red XIII and Selwyn and all 4 of them smiled at them both before they spoke in unison together.

"There ain't no gettin' offa this train we're on!"

"The train we're on don't make no stops!"

Soon after Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Barret say those words to the rest of their friends/companions, all of them began smiling, raising their arms and cheering loudly in joy to each other (except for Vincent, who still remain calm and silent throughout the conversations) before most of them turned and walked swiftly out of the Operation/meeting room and leaving both Cloud and Angelina behind in the room. Barret, Tifa, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and Vincent walked across the metal walkway and up the stairs toward the main deck/control room while Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel, Selwyn and Yuffie split off toward different parts of the airship to prepared themselves.

"So where do you think we should go next, Cloud?" Angelina asked Cloud.

"I don't know yet, Angie. But after what Tifa, Laina and Barret had told and filled us both in on all the things that had happened to them after the terrible event back in the Northern Crater and showed us the 2 Huge Materia that they managed to obtained from both the North Corel and Fort Condor mako reactors, I got a nagging feeling that there's some more Huge Materia somewhere out there and we have to find and get them before Shinra does." Cloud told Angelina.

"I think you're right, Cloud." said Angelina as she nodded her head in agreement at Cloud. "We should try asking either Cait Sith, Nina or Carter about where the rest of the Huge Materia are since they're still sort of working for Shinra company."

"That's a good suggestion, Angie. Come on, let's go asked them." said Cloud in an approving tone of voice to Angelina before they turned to their right, left the Operation/meeting room (and stopped in their tracks to talk and saluted 1 of the airship pilots standing near the door inside the room for a few seconds), walked across the walkway and went up the stairs toward the main deck/control room.

Both Cloud and Angelina soon spotted Cait Sith standing with both Nina and Carter near the stern of the airship with Barret, Tifa, Cid, Vincent and 3 pilots in silence and as they make their way toward the 3 of them, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter turned around to glance at them when they heard their footsteps approaching.

"Yes, Cloud, Angelina? How may we helped you two?" Cait Sith asked both Cloud and Angelina.

"Cloud and I wanted to asked you something, Cait Sith." Angelina told Cait Sith.

"And what is it you 2 wanted to asked about, Cloud, Angelina?" said Cait Sith.

"We wanted to know if you or Nina or Carter knows if there's any remaining Huge Materia out there that the Shinra company hasn't get yet." Cloud asked Cait Sith firmly.

Torn/sad looks appear on both Cait Sith and Nina's faces when they heard what both Cloud and Angelina just asked them and they lowered their heads to look down on the deck ground while Carter raised and placed his hand on Nina's shoulder to reassured/console her a little.

"Yes, Cloud, Angelina, the 2 of you are right." said Cait Sith in a somewhat hesitant tone of voice to them both. "There is another Huge Materia inside an underwater mako reactor under Junon. As far as we can see, that Huge Materia is the only one left."

"So you're saying that we should head toward the underwater reactor under Junon now, isn't it, Cait Sith?" said Angelina.

"Yes, that's right, Angelina." said Nina with a small nod of her head. "You 2 should go and tell Cid and his pilots to take us to Junon now."

Both Cloud and Angelina nodded their heads in agreement to Nina before they walked past the 3 of them toward Cid, told him about where they should go next and Cid nodded to both Cloud and Angelina before he snapped at his pilots to turned and flew the airship northwest toward Junon and away from the large forest surrounding a large round gaping hole filled with the greenish-coloured water of the Lifestream where Mideel village use to be standing and they do so.


	71. Chapter 71

**Chapter 71: Heading back to Junon**

A half hour later, the Highwind airship landed down on the grassy ground about a mile outside of Junon before Cid and his pilots turned the airship engine off and Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Phemie and Crisis got off the airship, turned and began to head across the grassy plains and through the entrance into the lower levels of Junon (while Barret, Cid and the others decided to stay behind on the airship and waited for their return).

As Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Phemie and Crisis went through the entrance into the lower levels of Junon, they were not surprised to see that the villagers of lower Junon carried on with their daily lives after Sapphire Weapon came and attacked Junon (which completely disrupted the public executions of Tifa, Barret and Kunsel). They then walked down the dirt path past the villagers walking around and the houses around them toward the elevator built against the wall and being guarded by a single infantryman holding an assault rifle lazily in his hands. When the infantryman heard them approaching he started to raised his assault rifle a little then lowered it when he saw them before he let out a bored sigh and leaned his back against the closed elevator door.

"If any or all of you wanted to get on the elevator behind me badly, give me 20 gil!" declared the infantryman firmly to Cloud and his friends/companions.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina widened their eyes a little in surprise (while both Phemie and Crisis shake their heads and thinking about how foolish the infantryman is for letting them use the elevator easily) when they heard that the infantryman would let them use the elevator for a measly 20 gil. Cloud think about the infantryman request for a few seconds before he made up his mind and handed 20 gil over to the infantryman, who took the 20 gil from Cloud without any comment, turned to his right to pressed a button to open the elevator door then step away from the now opened elevator.

"Hurry up and get in!" the infantryman told them firmly and Cloud and his friends/companions quickly walked past the infantryman and into the elevator. Once all of them are inside the elevator and the infantryman pressed the button again to closed the elevator door, Crisis then walked toward the control panel standing on the right corner of the elevator, operate and pressed some buttons on the control panel until they felt the elevator began to shuddered and started to rise steadily. A few seconds later, the elevator came to a shuddering stop and the elevator door to their right slid open and Cloud, Angelina and the others slowly/cautiously stepped out of the elevator with their hands holding their weapons closely in case Shinra company decided to placed many infantrymen or soldiers around the upper level of Junon to fight and prevent all 6 of them from reaching the underwater mako reactor to get the Huge Materia.

But to their further surprise when they stepped out of the elevator and into the corridor of a soldier base, they didn't see any signs or shadows of infantrymen or soldiers anywhere inside the corridor (except for the sound of the wind blowing through the open door to their left).

Cloud, Angelina and the others then went through the opened door to their left and stepped out into the main road of the upper level of Junon. They then walked forward down the main road (which is just as quiet and devoid of any infantrymen and soldiers as the corridor of the soldier base that they just came out from) past the tall Junon shop buildings while taking a throughout look in front and around them (and they soon saw the huge jagged hole plus dozens of smashed windows on the main Shinra headquarters in Junon caused by Sapphire Weapon) and Cloud suddenly had a nagging feeling that there's something wrong and missing in Junon (other than the absence of infantrymen and soldiers stationed in Junon), stopped in his tracks and he raised his right hand to tell Angelina and the others walking with him to stopped in their tracks as well before he turned around to glance at them.

"What is it, Cloud?" Laina asked Cloud.

"I may be mistaken, everyone, but… Doesn't it feel like we are missing something here?" Cloud told Laina and the others (who had confused looks on their faces now).

"I feel it too, Cloud. But we don't know what is it that's missing around here." said Angelina in an uneasy tone of voice.

"Whatever it is some of you are feeling uneasy about, I'm sure that it'll come to us soon enough." said Crisis.

"Crisis right, everyone. We should hurry up and go to the underwater reactor." said Phemie as she nodded her head in agreement at Crisis words.

Cloud sighed and shook his head a little to dismiss the uneasy feeling away before he turned to look away from his friends/companions and resumed walking quickly down the road. Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Phemie and Crisis followed swiftly after him (while also dismissing the uneasy feelings away from their minds) down the road and walking past the gondola machine with the huge red-coloured Shinra banner (with Rufus name written in black on it) hanging down on its left side and they went into an underground corridor under the Shinra building.

As Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions stepped into the underground corridor and turned to their left to walked down the corridor, all 6 of them soon saw a single red-uniformed security guard barking orders and blowing his whistle loudly and relentlessly at a group of 9 blue-uniformed infantrymen who were practicing their drills tiredly. A few of them noticed Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions approaching them through their helmets and they ceased doing their drills.

When the red-uniformed security guard saw that the group of infantrymen standing in front of him suddenly ceased doing their drills, he scowled irritably at them before he turned around to see what had distracted them and widened his eyes in surprise at seeing some of the enemies of Shinra standing behind him. He then smirked at them before he put the whistle back into his mouth and gave out another loud and sharp sound.

"All right! Let's see how hard you trained!" the red-uniformed security guard declared smugly to the group of infantrymen standing behind him and they dutifully came to attention and turned their backs on him. "Attention! Charge-!" the red-uniformed security guard ordered while blowing his whistle at them, expecting them to marched past him and defeat the enemies of Shinra swiftly, but instead he heard the sound of their footsteps marching rapidly away from him (which caused Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Phemie to smirk then snicker together while Crisis shook his head). He quickly turned around and widened his eyes in surprise then annoyed anger at seeing the group of infantrymen marching down the corridor, away from him and the enemies of Shinra.

"He- Hey…! That way leads toward the underwater reactor! Come back here, you cowardly fools!" the red-uniformed security guard yelled angrily at the group of infantrymen before he quickly ran down the corridor after them.

After the red-uniformed security guard and the group of infantrymen were out of their sights, Cloud shrug his shoulders a little (while Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Phemie ceased their smirking and snickering) before they resumed walking swiftly down the corridor toward the elevator at the end of the corridor and they went into the elevator together.

When Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions went into the elevator, they saw a long, red-haired pretty-looking woman wearing a dark green-coloured suit jacket and matching skirt with a white lab coat over it and black heels standing near the upper left corner of the elevator and 2 infantrymen standing at the back of the elevator with their backs to them and talking among themselves about which of them is going to ask the red-haired woman out on a date. When the 2 infantrymen heard the elevator doors opened and they turned around to see who is it, they widened their eyes in surprise at seeing Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions came into the elevator before they recover their composure, raised and pointed their assault rifles at them.

"Hey, buddy. How 'bout, whoever stays alive the longest, gets to take her out?" said the first infantryman to the second infantryman standing next to him.

"All right, you're on!" said the second infantryman as he nodded his head to the first infantryman before a worried and frown look appear on his face. "But… what if both of us…"

"Whoa! Don't even talk about that!" said the first infantryman.

Both Cloud and Angelina sighed at the 2 infantrymen before they pull their Buster Sword and naginata out from behind them, raised and swung them down on the 2 infantrymen heads and knocked them out cold. The 2 infantrymen immediately fell face-down and unconscious on the elevator floor and both Cloud and Angelina put their weapons back behind them before they and their friends/companions waited patiently inside the elevator with the woman and the 2 unconscious infantrymen as it began to descend down to the bottom.

Once the elevator reached the bottom and the elevator doors opened, Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions walked out of the elevator, away from the woman and the 2 unconscious infantrymen, went down several series of maze corridors/hallways (and they fought and defeated some more infantrymen, Slaloms, Death Machines and Guard Systems along the way) until they came to another elevator similar to the one outside of Junon, went into the elevator and Crisis operate and pressed some buttons on the control panel inside the elevator before they felt the elevator began to descend.

As the elevator brought them down and far below the water levels (which caused both Tifa and Phemie to feel a little nausea at the air pressure inside the elevator and both Laina and Crisis rubbed their shoulders gently when they noticed the nausea looks on their faces) until it finally reached and came to a stop at the bottom. Crisis pressed some more buttons on the control panel to opened the doors and as they quickly walked out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened, they found themselves standing inside a long and thick-looking glass tunnel on the ocean floor and which stretched out ahead of them all the way toward the underwater mako reactor (and Angelina, Tifa and Laina had awed/pleased looks on their faces when they see dozens of fishes, dolphins, sea turtles and other marine lives swimming around in the ocean through the glass tunnel around them).

Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions then walked forward down the long and thick-looking glass tunnel (and fought/defeated some Diver Nests, Corvettes and a Ghost Ship monsters along the way) until they reached the huge metallic double doors entrance of the underwater mako reactor. Crisis then pressed some buttons on a console attached on the wall near the entrance of the underwater mako reactor to opened the door before he, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and Phemie went through the entrance and both he and Phemie helped Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina in navigating/guiding their way through another series of maze-like winding corridors/walkways (while fighting and defeating some Senior Grunts, Gun Carriers, Hard Attackers, Robot Guardians and some more infantrymen and came across 2 red and grey-coloured submarines parked inside the submarine dock along the way) until all 6 of them reached the first front door leading toward the inner core of the reactor where 1 of the Huge Materia is being kept and they quickly went through the door in front of them, found themselves inside another corridor with a closed door to their right at the far end of the corridor and they turned to their right to head down the corridor toward the closed door, opened and went through it and found themselves standing on a metallic bridge in a large room where the inner core of the reactor is.

Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions walked down the bridge and they came to a stop in front of the reactor to look up at it (and Tifa, Phemie and Crisis soon felt the immense/familiar feeling of the Huge Materia emanating from inside the core of the reactor except for Cloud, Angelina and Laina, who felt it for the first time). It was tall and slender-looking with a wide circular hole at the top of it where they could heard a slightly loud humming sound and see a warm red-coloured steam billowing and rising out of the hole before it spread out and dissipated away.

"!? The Huge Materia!" said Cloud in an awed tone of voice.

Suddenly, the sound of a loud clanking caused them to raised their heads to look further upward to the ceiling and they saw a long metallic crane came out of a hatch, came to a stop above the reactor's core before it slowly descended itself deep into the circular hole at the top of the reactor and they heard and saw the humming sound quiet down and the warm red-coloured steam steadily ceased its billowing. They then watched as the crane rises itself up from inside the reactor while holding a glass case containing the Huge Materia (which is slightly smaller and had rougher edges than the rest of the Huge Materia) inside in its fingers before it began to move back toward the hatch where it came from seconds ago.

"No! We came here a few seconds too late!" cursed Angelina.

"They're going to take it away on the submarines which we just saw and passed by minutes ago!" said Tifa.

"We won't let them get away with it that easily!" said Cloud in a firm tone of voice to his friends/companions (who nodded their heads in agreement to him) before they turned to their right, run down the bridge, went through a door and they found themselves standing inside a large submarine docks room and staring at Reno, Mark and Fiona, who had their backs to Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions.

"Did we make it in time, Cloud!?" Angelina asked Cloud.

Cloud raised his head to look for the crane and saw the crane came to a stop above the opened hatch of the huge red-coloured submarine, lowered itself and the Huge Materia its holding through the opened hatch and into the red-coloured submarine and a few seconds later the crane rose itself out of the submarine without the Huge Materia and the submarine's hatch closed itself up.

"I don't think so, Angie." replied Cloud slightly grimly to Angelina.

"What the hell are you lazy bums doing? Help us load the important cargo already." said Reno in an irritated tone of voice as he, Mark and Fiona turned their heads to glance over their shoulders at Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions then they jumped and widened their eyes in surprise when they saw Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions standing behind them and they quickly turned around to faced them.

"Crisis!?" said Reno in a surprise tone of voice as he glance at his twin brother. "Where the hell have you been!? What are you doing here and why the hell are you and Phemie with them!?"

Crisis sighed and answered Reno's questions (while Phemie reached her hand out to hold his and to reassured him). "Phemie and I have had enough of Shinra company and everyone in it and we left and joined up with Laina and some of her friends/companions here. And now we're here for the Huge Materia, Reno. Either you or Mark or Fiona give it to us without a fight or we'll take it from you 3 by force."

A furious look appear and replaced the surprise look on Reno's face (and on Mark and Fiona's faces) when he heard what Crisis just told him and his 2 Turks colleagues. "You stupid idiot! How could both you and Phemie suddenly turned traitors on Shinra company, on the Turks and on me, your own brother!?" Reno snarled accusingly at Crisis.

Crisis flinched a little at Reno's angry accusatory words to him but he stand firm against it (while both Laina and Phemie glance at him with sad/pity looks on their faces). "Say whatever you want, Reno. But Phemie and I don't regret the decisions we just choose and made for ourselves."

"You 2 are such traitors…" said Fiona in a disappointing tone of voice to both Crisis and Phemie.

"…So, which is it going to be, Turks?" said Cloud as he and Angelina narrowed their eyes at Reno, Mark and Fiona.

"Unfortunately for you guys, the 3 of us don't have the time to deal with you all." said Mark as he smirked evilly at them before he nodded his head to the side and Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions soon watched as a large robot (named Carry Armour) which looked like an oversized, complicated dark bluish-green coloured crane game, with a thick-looking metal armour and laser rifle built just above its motor, 2 long arms built in an "M" formation and ending in 2 pincer-like grabbers that opened and closed after it activated itself and stomped its way slightly awkwardly toward them (while it swings its arms back and forth as it walked), turned and stopped in its tracks behind the 3 Turks.

"Right now, our top priority is the Huge Materia!" Fiona told Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions before she, Mark and Reno turned to their right, ducked under Carry Armour long arms and run toward the red-coloured submarine.

Both Cloud and Angelina turned and started to give chase after the 3 Turks but Carry Armour prevented them from chasing after the 3 Turks by raising and slamming both of its long arms down on the ground in front of them both. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Phemie and Crisis then quickly pull their weapons out to begin their fight against Carry Armour. They charge toward Carry Armour together to slash, hit, casted some Firaga and Thundaga magic attacks and uses their "Finishing Touch", "Exodus Blades" and "Lunging Strike" limit breaks on Carry Armour (which caused it to retaliate by using its "Lapis Laser" skill and its long arms to fired, swung and thrust out at them, which caused severe injuries on Tifa, Phemie and Crisis's bodies due to them unable to avoid Carry Armour attacks in time and Laina to quickly healed them up with "Pulse of Life" limit break) until both Cloud and Angelina jumped high above Carry Armour, raised their sword and naginata to swung and cut off its head, landed on the ground behind Carry Armour and they turned around and watched as Carry Armour headless body shudder rapidly for a few seconds before it fell down to its left side and became still.

After Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions are done in their battle against Carry Armour (and obtained the "God Hand" item from it), they put their weapons back inside their clothes and behind their backs and as they turned to glance at the red-coloured submarine, they see that the red-coloured submarine had already submerged into the water and escaped into the ocean during their fight against Carry Armour.

"Damn! The submarine!" Cloud cursed loudly.

"And also the Huge Materia!" added Angelina anxiously.

"We have to go after them and get it away from them!" Tifa said to both Cloud and Angelina.

"There's another submarine over there." said Laina as she raised and pointed a finger at the grey-coloured submarine still stationed at the other end of the dock and being guarded by a number of infantrymen. "We can use it to go after them right after we got rid of those infantrymen guarding it."

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Phemie and Crisis nodded their heads in agreement at Laina's suggestion to take the other submarine and they began to run down the docks toward it (and get Battle Trumpet, Scimitar and Leviathan Scales from treasure chests along the way). Half of the infantrymen quickly turned and head down the opened hatch into the submarine while the other half decided to stand their ground against them. Soon Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions approach the submarine, take down and knocked out the first half of the infantrymen standing outside the submarine and tossed them aside on the dock ground before they jumped through the opened hatch into the submarine one by one.

Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions landed on the floor in a corridor between the main control room and the engine room which is guarded by 3 infantrymen armed with assault rifles as they stand outside the 2 rooms.

"You terrorists wants this Sub? Just try an' take it!" the first infantryman snapped at Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions.

"Uh…sir!" said the second infantryman cautiously to the first infantryman while he stares at Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions. "Maybe we shouldn't pissed them off…"

"That infantryman's got a point, mister." said Angelina as she smirked at the first infantryman. "Why don't you listen to his advice?"

"Shut up, you!" the first infantryman snapped angrily at Angelina before he glared at the second infantryman standing behind them. "And you, stop being such a coward and let's take them down now!"

The 3 infantrymen then charge toward Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions together and they raised their assault rifles and opened fire on them. Laina immediately created an invisible wall of shield around them to protect them from the bullets (which causes the 3 infantrymen to have shocked looks on their faces when they saw the bullets struck an invisible wall then fell down) before she casted 3 Hell Blizzaga magic attack on them and they soon fell face-down to the floor.

"Not bad, Laina." said Crisis in an approving tone of voice to Laina.

"Yeah, sure." said Laina.

"Come on, to the main control room!" said Cloud to the others before they walked down the corridor past the 3 unconscious infantrymen toward the main control room and went into it.

Once Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions stepped into the main control room, they saw 2 infantrymen and 1 red-uniformed security guard standing inside the room (which turns out to be the 3 same infantrymen and security guard which Cloud recognized from when both he and Kunsel disguised themselves as infantrymen to do the inauguration marching parade for President Rufus before they sneak themselves and their friends/companions onboard the ship toward Costa Del Sol).

The 2 infantrymen and the security guard widened their eyes in fear when they saw the 6 terrorists and the menacing-looking weapons that they carried with them and they immediately dropped their assault rifles and raised their arms up in surrender. Crisis, Phemie and Tifa then approach, grabbed and pushed the 2 infantrymen and security guard to the left side corner of the control room and watched them warily for any suspicious moves while both Angelina and Laina watched as Cloud walked slowly away from them toward the center of the control room, stopped in his tracks to look at the monitors and consoles around him before he suddenly turned to look away from the monitors and consoles to look back at both Angelina and Laina (who saw that his face is very pale now).

"Someone… please," said Cloud in a nervous then fearful tone of voice to both Angelina and Laina. "I'm so sorry but I just can't take it anymore. The lack of space, the shaking of the submarine, the roar of its engine…" Cloud trailed off, hold his queasy stomach with his arms closely and weakly fell to his knees on the floor.

"Are you serious, Cloud?" said Angelina in an incredulous tone of voice as she glance down at Cloud (while Laina face-palm herself and shake her head at Cloud). "Even now, your motion sickness still isn't getting any better?"

"I'm really sorry, Angie…" said Cloud weakly and apologetically at Angelina.

"Now what are we going to do?" said Tifa as she glance at the others. "We got ourselves a submarine and yet Cloud is too sick and frighten right now to pilot it."

Laina sighed then make her way past Angelina and Cloud toward the control panel, glance down and examined it closely for a few seconds before she pressed a random large red-coloured button on the control panel and they immediately felt the submarine sprang to life around them before it move slowly away from the dock.

"Looks like I pressed the correct button and now this submarine has move away from the dock, everyone." said Laina as she turned away from the control panel to glance at the others before she glance down at Cloud. "Come on, Cloud. Get ahold of yourself. You can't let this motion sickness of yours take you down right now."

"Laina's right, Cloud." said Angelina in agreement at Laina's words. "You can do this, Cloud."

Encouraged by both Angelina and Laina's helpful words, Cloud take a deep breath and he steadily stood up from the floor. "Hey, you 2 are right… I can't always let this motion sickness of mine get the best of me forever. Thanks, Angie, Laina. Leave the rest to me now." said Cloud determinedly to both Angelina and Laina (who smiled and nodded at him) before he turned, sat himself down on the leather chair in front of the control panel, read the manual book lying on the control panel about how to control and drove the submarine for a while then he took hold of the steering wheel to manoeuvred the submarine away from the dock then submerged it into the water (while Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Phemie, Crisis, the 2 infantrymen and security guard quickly braced themselves against the wall for support).

Once the submarine is completely submerged in the water, Cloud turned the submarine around in the ocean to search for the escaped red submarine while pressing some buttons to change the monitor screen in front of him into a sonar monitor screen and the sonar monitor screen managed to find the red submarine driving a few feet ahead of them. Cloud then moved the submarine toward the red submarine until they're close enough then he told Angelina to help in handling the weapon console control panel on the right side corner of the room and she did. Angelina helped loaded the torpedoes into the loading bay on both side of the submarine outside then she fired the torpedoes 1 by 1 at the red submarine (while Cloud quickly drove the submarine side by side to avoid the enemy's torpedoes being fired at them) until she managed to take it down and they watched as a number of escape pods began firing themselves out of the destroyed submarine and straight up toward the ocean surface while the destroyed submarine itself fall rapidly down to the ocean floor.

"Phew-! We did it, everyone!" said Cloud in a joyful then relieved tone of voice to Angelina, Tifa and the rest of his friends/companions as he let go of the steering wheel and leaned back in the chair to rest for a short while. "The Huge Materia should be inside the submarine at the bottom of the ocean floor by now. Let's continue the search…" Cloud begin telling them then trailed off when he (and the others) heard the intercom on the control panel suddenly began to crackled to life then a man voice spoke to them through the intercom, telling them that they should return to Junon airport to help in transporting the Huge Materia away from the airport.

Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions exchange glances with each other before they decided to temporarily forget about getting the Huge Materia inside the destroyed submarine lying on the ocean floor and Cloud drove the submarine up to the surface then turned and directed the submarine into a small alcove hole close to the lower level of Junon, safely docked inside it then Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions quickly got out of the submarine (and let the number of infantrymen and the single security guard inside the submarine with them go free) before they hurried into Junon and didn't stop their paces as they ran down the main road toward the airport.

But when they reached the airport, they stopped in their tracks when they saw one of the Shinra Gelnika huge airship had already turn down the runway, lowered and clicked its wingtips into place then it rolled itself forward down the runway, rose up into the sky and flew away from the airport.

"Oh no! The Huge Materia…!" said Cloud in dismay.

"We came a few seconds too late!" said Angelina in dismay as well.

"We have to go after them!" said Tifa to both Cloud and Angelina, who glance and nodded their heads in agreement to her.

"Do you 2 know where that airship is heading to?" Laina asked both Phemie and Crisis.

"Yes, we know, sister. That airship is taking the Huge Materia to Rocket Town." replied Phemie.

"They're going to loaded the Huge Materia into the rocket and launch it into space toward the Meteor." said Crisis.

"Then we should head back to the airship and told Cid to take us to Rocket Town!" said Cloud to Angelina and the others before they turned around, quickly left Junon, back into the Highwind airship and they told Cid about their next destination and he and his pilots quickly started the airship engine up, raised the airship up to the sky, turned and flew the airship in the direction of Rocket Town.


	72. Chapter 72

**Chapter 72: Return to Rocket Town**

By the time the Highwind airship arrived and landed down on the grassy plains outside of Rocket Town, the day had already turned swiftly to evening and both Cloud and Angelina got off the airship, turned and quickly head through the town's entrance into Rocket Town, with both Selwyn and Cid following closely behind them both (while Tifa, Laina and the others decided to stay behind in the airship and waited for their return).

As Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid run past the houses and the villagers (who stands outside their houses to watched with awe and uneasy looks on their faces at the tilting rocket) of Rocket Town toward the rocket, all 4 of them saw that a number of infantrymen were patrolling on the ground around the rocket (while moving aside some scaffolds and other items lying on the ground near the foot of the rocket) while a number of mechanics were finally done in their works on the rocket before they packed up their equipments and began climbing down from the rocket, which meant that it's almost time for them to launch the rocket.

Once Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid (who's very pissed at seeing the Shinra infantrymen and mechanics walking around and crawling all over the rocket to prepared to launch it toward Meteor) reached and saw a small group of 3 infantrymen standing guard at the bottom of a staircase near the foot of the rocket, one of the infantrymen soon spotted them out of the corner of his eye and he quickly shouted to the other 2 infantrymen standing guard with him that their enemies had arrived. The 3 infantrymen immediately turned, charge toward Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid and they raised their assault rifles to opened fire on them. Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid quickly pull their weapons out from their backs to blocked/deflected the bullets away from them before they charge toward the 3 infantrymen, raised and swung their weapons down on them. The 3 infantrymen cried out in pain from their attacks before they dropped their assault rifles and fell down to the ground, unconscious.

Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid then run past the 3 fallen and unconscious infantrymen, run up the stairs and stopped in their tracks halfway on the stairs when they saw 4 more infantrymen and 1 red-uniformed security guard standing on the launch platform and glaring down at them.

"Don't let them get any further!" the red-uniformed security guard ordered the 4 infantrymen as he pointed his finger down at their enemies. "Everyone, ATTACK-!"

Two of the infantrymen immediately charge down the stairs toward them and both Cloud and Angelina immediately swung their Buster sword and naginata at the 2 infantrymen and knocked them hard and over both sides of the staircase and the 2 infantrymen fell and landed hard on their backs on the ground. Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid then run up the last few steps toward the launch platform, turned and glared at the red-uniformed security guard (who had a wide-eyed and horror look on his face now) and the other 2 infantrymen standing behind him.

"Urrrgh, none of you are going anywhere! Un un, nowhere!" the red-uniformed security guard yelled angrily at Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid before he raised and gestured with his right hand to the 2 infantrymen standing behind him and they nodded to him before all 3 of them raised their sub-machine guns and opened fire on Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid. Both Cloud and Angelina quickly raised their Buster sword and naginata to blocked/deflected the bullets away from them before both Selwyn and Cid charge past both Cloud and Angelina toward the 2 infantrymen and the red-uniformed security guard and Selwyn swung his long spear to knocked the 2 infantrymen off the launch platform while Cid thrust his long spear forward to impaled through the security guard stomach, which caused him to gasped in pain before he fell dead onto the launch platform and disappear into the Lifestream.

"Goddammit, what the hell do those Shinra bastards think they're gonna do to my rocket!?" Cid cursed loudly in anger as he glance up at his rocket before he suddenly turned around to glared angrily at Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn. "I'm outta here, Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn! I'm going up there and I'm gonna kicked those $^%$## Shinra bastards right out of my rocket!"

Before Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn could say anything to Cid, he turned around and began to climb up the ladder away from them swiftly toward the top of the rocket. Both Cloud and Angelina exchange slightly exasperated looks with each other while Selwyn sighed and shake his head a little before the 3 of them began climbing up the ladder after Cid.

Once Cid, Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn reached the top of the rocket, they got off the ladder, stepped onto the metallic platform and they turned to their right and saw Rude, Helen, Brian and 2 infantrymen standing with their backs facing an opened door that lead into the interior of the rocket. The 2 infantrymen were surprised to see Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid while Rude, Helen and Brian merely raised their eyebrows at them.

"… You and some of your friends again?" said Rude at Cloud as he cracked his knuckles a little before he, Helen and Brian (who took out their small kunais and nunchaku weapons) took a few steps forward. "…We will eliminate anyone who gets in Shinra's way."

The 3 Turks, the 2 infantrymen and Cloud, Angelina and their 2 friends/companions immediately charge toward each other and began their next battle. Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid fought fiercely against the 3 Turks and the 2 infantrymen for a few minutes until they managed to defeat all 5 of them and Rude, Helen and Brian groaned in pain, dropped their weapons and and fell to their knees while the 2 infantrymen fell face-down and unconscious on the platform.

"Ugh… gh… They got us, Helen, Brian." Rude said weakly to both Helen and Brian (who nodded their heads in reluctant agreement to him) before they fell backward on the platform and loses their consciousness as well.

Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid then walked swiftly past the unconscious forms of Rude, Helen, Brian and the 2 infantrymen toward the opened doorway, went through it into the interior of the rocket and they soon saw another red-uniformed security guard standing inside the corridor of the rocket. The security guard had a surprise look on his face when he turned and saw Cloud, Angelina and their 2 friends/companions came into the rocket.

"You, you! Why are you terrorists here?" sputter the security guard in a surprise tone of voice as he glance at Cloud, Angelina and their 2 friends/companions. "Rude, Helen and Brian of the Turks should've been here!"

"Too bad for you. Those guys are over there." said Cloud as he raised his right hand and jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the opened doorway behind him, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid without looking back.

"Oh man… the Turks, being done in by you terrorists so easily…" said the security guard as he shook his head sadly. "But even so, I still won't let you terrorists through!" said the security guard firmly to them and before he could raised his sub-machine gun to opened fire on them, Selwyn had already raised and swung his spear down on the security guard's head and knocked him out cold.

After Selwyn knocked out the security guard, Cid run past Cloud, Angelina, Slewyn and the unconscious security guard down the corridor toward the cockpit door, threw open the door and stormed into the cockpit room. Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn quickly run after him and they went through the opened door and into the cockpit room as well. Once they are inside the cockpit room, they saw 3 blue-uniformed mechanics men tinkering and adjusting away on the control panels.

"Hey! What the bloody hell're you guys doin'!?" Cid yelled loudly at the 3 mechanics, which startled them and they stopped what they're doing, turned to glance at Cid and they smiled widely when they saw him.

"Hey! Just when I thought somethin' was goin' on, you suddenly come back!" said the first mechanic cheerfully to Cid.

"Listen to me, Captain. We're gonna launch this rocket!" said the second mechanic happily to Cid.

"Huh? What are you guys talkin' bout?" said Cid as he turned to glance at the second mechanic with a confused look on his face.

"We're gonna load a bomb containing a Huge Materia inside into this rocket then we launch it straight toward Meteor to blow it up." said the third mechanic happily to Cid, which caused Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn to have shocked looks on their faces when they heard what the third mechanic just said.

"Our rocket's gonna saved the Planet!" said the first mechanic happily.

"Urrrgh! Man, this is so COOL!" said the third mechanic happily.

"Wait a minute, all of you!" said Cloud as he take a step forward.

"You guys can't be serious about doing this!" Angelina began protesting to the 3 mechanics as well.

"Shut up, you two! Just shut the hell up!" Cid immediately turned and snapped angrily at both Cloud and Angelina, which ceased their protesting before he turned to glance back at the 3 mechanics. "How's the rocket now?" Cid asked the 3 mechanics calmly (while both Cloud and Angelina exchange worried looks at each other and Selwyn scowled silently at Cid).

"It's pretty much OK." replied the first mechanic.

"But…" the third mechanic began saying then trailed off into silence.

"We planned to launch and run the rocket into Meteor on Auto-Pilot, but the most important device is broken." the second mechanic finished saying to Cid.

"Broken? How's the repair goin'?" said Cid in a thoughtful tone of voice to the second mechanic.

The 3 mechanics exchange worried looks at each other before the second mechanic sighed and told Cid the name of the person who's doing the repairs.

"Shera's doin' it…"

"Oh great!" Cid yelled in anger/exasperation as he raised and shake his arms in the air in disgust (which caused the 3 mechanics to flinch a little). "What a buncha goddamn wizards you guys are! She's gonna take a 100 years!"

The 3 mechanics immediately lowered their heads and stared down at the floor. Cid sighed and closed his eyes in deep thinking about the situation before he finally nodded and make up his mind and opened his eyes to glance at the 3 mechanics.

"I'll take over from here, so you guys don't have to worry about the Auto-Pilot!" Cid told the 3 mechanics with a wide grin on his face as they lifted their heads to glance at him in wonder. "Hey, go ahead, all of you! Go and tell everyone!"

"All right, Captain. Good luck." The 3 mechanics said in unison to Cid as they raised their arms to salute him before they turned and run out of the cockpit room, leaving Cid, Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn behind.

After the 3 mechanics are gone from the cockpit room, both Cloud and Angelina approach Cid with dark, angry looks on their faces. "Hey, Cid! What're you doing!?" Cloud demanded angrily to Cid, who turned around to glance at both him and Angelina.

"There are generations of knowledge, magic and wisdom stored inside the Huge Materia." Angelina told Cid angrily. "And we're going to borrow their powers to help us in saving the Planet from Sephiroth and Meteor. So there's no way that we're going to lose the Huge Materia now. You understand what I just said, right, Cid?"

Cid didn't say anything to both Cloud and Angelina for a few seconds before he slowly lowered and shook his head at them. "Yeah, I understand." Cid began saying calmly to them both. "I understand that the Huge Materia is precious, and I also understand what you guys are thinking. But listen. Right now I don't give a rat's ass about whether it's science or magical powers. No, I guess if I had to choose, I'd rather put my money on the power of science." Cid lifted his head to glance up at them and spread both of his arms out to gestured to the various electronic devices around them inside the cockpit room. "Humans who used to only roam around on the ground are able to fly now! And finally, we're able to go into outer space. Science is a "Power" created and developed by humans. And science just might be what saves this planet." Cid raised his clenched fist and shook it a little. "I was able to earn my living thanks to science. So to me, there's nothing greater than that! Now both of you quit your worries 'bout what those Shinra bastards gonna do! I don't want to regret not having done something I want later."

"Cid, we know and understand that you're finally getting what you've been waiting for. But still…" Cloud began saying to Cid.

"Shut the hell up, numbskull kid! I don't wanna hear anymore of your words!" Cid yelled angrily at Cloud, cutting off his words before he glance away from Cloud to glance at both Angelina and Selwyn. "Alright, time for me to get to work now! Anyone who ain't involved, get the hell outta here!"

After Cid's done talking to them, Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid suddenly felt the rocket began to roared and shook vigorously to life around them and they look around the cockpit room in alarm.

"What the hell…? What the hell happened now!?" said Cid in a confused tone of voice.

"This is not good!" said Selwyn.

Just then, the intercom device attached on the wall near the monitor screen started crackling to life and they soon heard a familiar and cheerful voice speaking to them through the intercom.

" _Hey-hey!"_

"Palmer! You fat bastard!" Cid growled in anger and disgust as he turned and approach the intercom on the wall near the monitor screen. "What the hell did'ya just do!?"

" _They said they just finished repairing the Auto-Pilot. So I laun-ched it!"_ replied Palmer's voice through the intercom.

"Goddamn Shera!" Cid growled in anger and disgust for the second time, this time at Shera. "Why'd she picked today of all days to be fast!" Cid then run over toward the cockpit's main control panel below the monitor screen, frantically pushed, pressed and turned the buttons and dials on the main control panel to try to delay or override the rocket's launch system but to no avail.

"DAMN! Won't even budged!" Cid cursed as he raised his clenched fists and slammed his fists on the main control panel. "It's completely locked up by that fat bastard!"

" _Hey-hey-hey! Almost lift off!"_ Palmer's cheerful voice spoke through the intercom for the third time.

"Say what!? No countdown!?" exclaimed Cid in shocked before he shook his head (while Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn sighed and face-palm their foreheads at Cid's foolish words and attitude about the lack of countdown). "It just don't seem the same without it!"

" _Hey! Hey-hey! Blast-off!"_ Palmer's cheerful voice spoke through the intercom for the final time and Cloud quickly grabbed hold of Angelina and pull her close to him (which make her face turned red a little) while Cid quickly sat himself down on the chair in front of the main control panel and the monitor screen and Selwyn braced himself against the wall.

XXXX

Outside, the countdown timer somewhere on the roaring rocket reached zero and the thrusters below the rocket began igniting and sending searing hot yellow-coloured flames rushing into the ground (which completely burned the ground into a black crisp) and creating a strong gust of cloudy dust/dirt wind up from the ground before the strong gust of cloudy dust/dirt wind started blowing straight toward Rocket Town and it partially tore and blown apart trees, grasses, roofs and walls off of some of the nearby houses and sending them flying off into the air before it proceeded to covered the rest of the houses, trees and grasses heavily with dust and dirt.

The remaining bits of the 4 rusted scaffoldings around the shuddering rocket began to fell apart and fell clattering to the ground before the rocket slowly rise itself up from the ground, higher and higher until it was away from the ground, above the town then it increase its speed up to the sky, reached and broke through the ozone layer around the planet until the rocket and its 4 occupants inside finally arrived into outer space.


	73. Chapter 73

**Chapter 73: Getting the Huge Materia and escaping from the rocket**

After the rocket arrived into outer space and Cloud (who quickly released Angelina from his hold while turning his slightly blushing face away to glance at the wall), Angelina (who felt a little disappointed then grateful that Cloud let her go), Selwyn and Cid heard the roar of the engine slowly quiet down while the thrusters below the rocket slowed dimmed down until they only heard the constant beeping sound on the monitor screen inside the cockpit room, they slowly turned to glance at the monitor screen and they (especially Cid) widened their eyes in awed when they saw the silent and breathtaking view of the vast black ocean of outer space filled with many bright stars that shone their majestic radiance instead of twinkling like they all saw when they're still on the planet showing on the monitor screen.

"Oh wow, this view is just…" Angelina began saying.

"Breathtaking? Amazing? Beautiful?" finished Cloud helpfully.

Angelina nodded her head in silent agreement to Cloud without looking away from the view of outer space on the monitor screen.

"I finally made it… Outer space…" whispered Cid in an awed tone of voice before he lowered his head to look away from the monitor screen and look down on the control panel. "Let's see, how's the course set…?" Cid asked himself as he raised his right hand to scratch the back of his head. Cid then pressed some buttons on the control panel and a few seconds later, they watched as the view of outer space on the monitor screen change into an image of a star chart showing a large green-coloured circle that represented their planet on the bottom left side of the screen while moving slowly across the screen toward their planet was a smaller red-coloured circle that represented the Meteor. Several small yellow-coloured dotted lines appeared and extended from the planet and moving in an arched course toward Meteor. "Yup, it's headed straight for a collision toward Meteor." Cid confirmed grimly to Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn.

"Isn't there anything that we can do, Cid?" Angelina asked Cid worriedly. "If it goes on, we'll…"

"Quit your worrying already, girl." Cid replied slightly harshly to Angelina (which cut off her words and make her scowled angrily at him) before he pressed some more buttons on the control panel, saw a message written in red appear on the monitor screen, read it then scowled and kicked the floor in anger. "That damn fat bastard Palmer went outta his way to sealed off the Auto-Pilot device. Rendering me unable to change the course of the rocket." Cid told them.

A somber silence fell on Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn when they heard what Cid just told them. Both Cloud and Angelina then exchange sad/worry looks with each other while Selwyn glance grimly up at the monitor screen which is still showing the star chart image of the planet and the Meteor.

"… This is the end?" Cloud whispered to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"We won't be able to see the rest of our friends or be able to stop Sephiroth again?" Angelina whispered sadly/worriedly to herself.

Cid heard what both Cloud and Angelina and he turned to glance at them in surprise. "Huh? What the hell're you 2 sayin'?" Cid said to them. "You guys are still young, and you guys are giving up that easily? Of course I'm not gonna let all 4 of us just crash into Meteor. Just watch." Cid told Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn (who glance at him) before he turned back to the control panel and pressed some more buttons on it.

Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn watched as the star chart image of the planet and the Meteor on the monitor screen in front of them change into an image showing a pod in 1 of the corridor in the lower bowels of the rocket. Cid pressed another button and this time Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn saw several red-coloured words/messages/datas began writing/sprawling across the monitor screen to showed them the statistics of the pod. Cid lifted his head to glance up at the monitor screen for a few seconds, smiled proudly to himself before he turned to glance at them again.

"I keep an Escape Pod on the rocket just for emergencies like this." Cid explained casually to Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn before he walked past them toward the left side of the wall, pressed a button on the wall then he raised his right hand to grabbed and pulled down a lever. After he's done, he turned to glance back at them. "I've just deciphered the lock code on the Escape Pod. We'll bail out of the rocket before it crash into Meteor."

" _Man, no wonder since you're an ex-ace pilot of Shinra despite you cursing/snapping at us some of the times._ " thought Selwyn slightly sarcastically in his mind at Cid.

"But what about the Huge Materia, Cid?" Angelina asked Cid. "Are we really going to give it up?"

Cid closed his eyes as he think silently about Angelina's question regarding the Huge Materia inside the rocket for a few seconds before he opened his eyes to glance at her. "If you guys want the Huge Materia so much, do whatever you guys want then! The Huge Materia should be up there after you guys climb the ladder over there." Cid told the 3 of them as he nodded his head toward a recess in the opposite wall, where a ladder stood attached against the wall.

"… Are you sure about that?" Cloud asked Cid sceptically as he, Angelina and Selwyn turned and glance at the ladder.

"I dunno…" Cid admitted with a shake of his head to Cloud's question. "I know what I just said to you guys a minute ago." Cid told Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn before he slowly raised his head to glance up at the ceiling and a wistful look appear on his face. "But maybe all that I really wanted deep in my heart and soul was just to go into outer space." Cid lapsed into silence and he lowered his head to glance back at Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn. "So, why don't you all do whatever you all think is right?"

Cloud smiled and nodded his head to Cid before all 4 of them turned and went toward the ladder in the recess and they climbed up the ladder 1 by 1 toward the next room above them. As Cloud, Angelina, Slewyn and Cid got off the ladder and stood up to take a glance around the room, they saw that the entire room was huge and devoid of things except for a secure cylindrical-shaped glass case containing the Huge Materia inside (which glowed with an innate, eerie and mystical light) and fitted with an advanced lock on it in the middle of the room and with dozens of long metallic pipes which ran from all directions across the floor toward the bottom of the glass case, using mako energy drawn from the engines of the rocket to power the lock.

Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid then walked up toward the glass case containing the Huge Materia inside and as Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn glance at the Huge Materia inside the glass case, Cid decided to examined the lock on the glass case closely and he saw the keypad on the lock (while all 4 of them flinch a little when they felt the immense aura of the power contain within the Huge Materia).

"We finally found it, Angie. The last of the Huge Materia….." Cloud whispered to Angelina in an awestruck tone of voice.

"Not exactly, Cloud. This is just the second last of the Huge Materia which we've seen and found so far." Angelina whispered back to Cloud. "The last of the Huge Materia which we haven't get yet is inside the submarine which we've take down and sunk to the bottom of the ocean near Junon hours ago."

"Oh yeah, you're right, Angie." Cloud whispered back to her, feeling a little embarrassed for forgetting about that information.

"It's structured so that this lock can be opened if we enter the passcode from this control panel." Cid told Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn before he glance up at them and smirk a little when he saw the awestruck looks on their faces. "Hey, Cloud," Cid said to Cloud and he glance down at Cid. "You do know how to use it, right? Every time it says "Enter passcode", push 1 of those number buttons. If you punch in the correct code, it'll unlock and you can get the Huge Materia inside!"

"So, what order do you think I'm supposed to enter the passcode in, Cid?" Cloud asked Cid as he got down on one knee near the keypad on the lock.

"I dunno. Just try to punch in the number code randomly." Cid answered Cloud's question while he shrugged his shoulders (which caused an irritated look to appear on Cloud's face).

"You can do this, Cloud." said Angelina reassuringly to Cloud.

Cloud glance at Angelina, nodded his head to her before he glance back down at the keypad on the lock, examined it for a few seconds and he punched the first random passcode that he could think of in his mind into the keypad. To their surprise, Cloud managed to punched in the right passcode in his first try and they soon heard the lock on the glass case clicked loudly before Cloud rose to his feet and they walked backward away from the lock when they saw the door of the glass case slowly and silently opened outward, releasing the Huge Materia from its confinement.

" _Password confirmed. Identified as an Authorized User. Unlocked."_ spoke a computerized male voice from somewhere within the now opened glass case.

"You did it, Cloud!" said Angelina in a happy/proud tone of voice to Cloud, who glance up and smiled at her.

"Whoa, pretty good for a numbskull kid! You got the correct passcode in a single try!" said Cid proudly to Cloud. "Come on, get the Huge Materia already so we can get the hell out of here!"

Cloud nodded his head silently to Cid without looking at him before he grab and took the Huge Materia out of the glass case and he, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid glance down at it in awed for a few seconds before Cloud carefully handed the Huge Materia over to Angelina, who took it carefully from him and hold it closely/carefully in her right arm before they turned around, went and climb back down the ladder 1 by 1 back into the cockpit room. After they got back inside the cockpit room, Cid then quickly helped in guiding/ushering Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn out of the cockpit room, down a corridor toward a second ladder and they quickly climbed down the second ladder toward the lower level of the engine room. They got off the ladder and Cid quickly lead them down another corridor which had 8 of the rocket's oxygen tanks lined up on both sides of the inner wall of the corridor.

As Cid, Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn walked swiftly down the corridor past the first few oxygen tanks, none of them (especially Cid himself), noticed that the door on the eighth oxygen tank was slightly open while small statics of electricity sparking near it. When Cid walked past the eighth tank, the electricity near the eighth tank came into contact with the oxygen leaking out of the opened tank door, causing the oxygen within to ignite and causes a violent explosion which shook the corridor around them greatly and knocked Cid, Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn off their feet, causing them to fall on their backs hard on the floor while thick grey smoke came out of the eighth tank and covered the corridor and the 4 people lying on the floor from view.

XXXX

At the same time inside the engine room next to the oxygen tanks room, Shera is busy in working/checking the temperature levels of the rocket's engine when she heard the sound of a loud explosion coming from the room next to her. Shera immediately stop what she's doing, turned to glance at the door in front of her and her eyes widened in shock when she saw small wisps of grey smoke seeping through the door. She then hurried toward the oxygen tanks room.

XXXX

A few seconds after the grey smoke cleared away from the corridor, Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn groaned a little before they slowly stood up from the floor and saw the damage which the explosion had just caused. The eighth oxygen tank had been blown apart in the explosion, causing it to leaked out even more of its valuable oxygen and mako energy while dozens of small charred and smoking pieces of debris lay scattered throughout the corridor around them. Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn then heard another groan of pain coming from behind them, turned around and widened their eyes in shock when they saw Cid lying pinned on the floor under a huge part of the eighth oxygen tank door.

"Grrrgh! Damn!" Cid cursed out. "My leg's stuck in this heavy hunk of metal…"

"Cid!" Cloud cried out before he, Angelina and Selwyn quickly approach and stand around the tank door pinning Cid's legs down. They then kneel down and together they try to lift the broken door away from Cid's legs but to their dismay, the broken door turns out to be much heavier than they thought and they can barely lift it up.

"It's no good, Cloud, Selwyn! We can't lift it up…" exclaimed Angelina sadly to both Cloud and Selwyn.

"Goddamn piece of metal junk!" Selwyn cursed out. "If only Laina's here with us, she could use that "Telekinesis" power of hers to lift this thing up easily."

"Yeah well, she's not here with us, Selwyn!" Angelina snapped at Selwyn and he scowled back at her.

"Don't you 3 worry 'bout me! Hurry up and go already!" said Cid sternly to Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn. "If you 3 don't hurry and get out of here, the rocket's gonna crash into Meteor and you 3 are gonna die!"

"… We're not leaving without our friends." Cloud told Cid before he grab the broken door and try to lift it up.

"Cloud's right, Cid. So be quiet and let us help you." said Angelina as she nodded her head in agreement to Cloud.

"And neither do I!" added Selwyn.

"You 3 ^%# $%#%...!" Cid cursed out at them. "This is no time for you 3 to be worrying 'bout other people!"

"We're gonna do whatever we can to help you, Cid." said Cloud without looking at Cid as he, Angelina and Selwyn strained their arm muscles to its maximum to continue trying to lift the broken door off Cid.

"You're all stupid." said Cid as he shake his head incredulously at the 3 of them. "You're all really $#&^%$# stupid."

"Yeah, so what if we're all stupid just because we want to help out a friend in trouble, Cid?" said Selwyn. "You can curse and sue us for all we care."

Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn then lapsed into silence as they continue to try to lift and drag the broken door away from Cid's legs. As for Cid, he glance at the remains of the blown up tank behind Cloud, realised that Shera was right about it all along and he lowered his head in guilt and despair for not listening and lashing out at her in anger years ago.

"Tank number 8 blew up… So Tank number 8… really was malfunctioning…" said Cid gravely to himself before he lifted his head to glance up at the ceiling while clenching his fists. "Shera, you were right and told me about it but I was too caught up in my dream to go into outer space to listen to you. So… it looks like this is the end for me."

"Don't say that, Cid." said a familiar female voice suddenly from behind Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Cid (which surprises them) and all 4 of them raised their heads to look up and they saw Shera standing and staring down at the 4 of them.

"Huh!? Shera!? Why are you here!?" said Cid in a surprise tone of voice to Shera.

"Why, you asked? I tagged along, of course. And now I'm going to help you." said Shera with a small smile on her face at Cid before she kneel down next to Cloud and she began helping Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn in lifting/pulling the broken door slowly and successfully away from Cid's legs.

"You stupid &#$%#$%& %#$!" Cid began cursing fiercely at Shera before he quickly covered his mouth with his hands and a guilty look appear on his face. "… Sorry." Cid apologized to Shera in a small voice that only she can hear and she gave him another small smile.

A few minutes later, Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn and Shera managed to lifted and pulled the broken door away from Cid before Selwyn approach and grabbed Cid's left arm and pull it over his shoulder to help him up and they began following behind Shera as she lead/guide them through the door which she came from a few minutes ago and down another corridor toward where the escape pod is stored.

"The escape pod is this way. Please hurry." said Shera as she stopped in her tracks at the end of the corridor near the escape pod and turned to glance at them. "Hurry and get into the escape pod, all of you. I'm going to detach it from the rocket soon." Shera told them urgently and they quickly walked into the escape pod.

"Hey, Shera! Does this pod really fly?" Cid asked Shera as he take a cautious and thorough look inside the escape pod.

"It'll be okay, Cid. I'm been checking it thoroughly until now." replied Shera in a confident and reassuring tone of voice to Cid.

Cid didn't say anything to her for a few seconds before he raised his right hand to scratch the back of his head. "…Then I'm relieved, Shera." Cid told her in a small and grateful tone of voice.

"… Thanks." said Shera in a small and grateful tone of voice back to him as she hurriedly lowered her head to not let Cid see the flushed look on her face.

Once Cloud, Angelina, Selwyn, Cid and Shera were sitting securely on the chairs and putting the seat belts on over them inside the escape pod, Shera then closed off the escape pod door before she began detaching the escape pod out and away from the rocket. The pod rolled around in outer space for a while before the metal panel under the pod shuddered and separated itself from the pod and floated aimlessly in space while the pod itself began to make its way downward and back toward the planet.

"So this is… outer space… Man… it's the real thing… I'm really here in outer space…" said Cid in a small, awed and eager tone of voice as he glance out the window (right after he unbuckled his seat belt and stood up from the chair) to see the vast expanse of outer space filled with dozens of beautiful bright stars shining their lights in it while he still had the chance. Cid then turned his head to his right and he could see the planet rapidly coming closer toward the pod before he turn his head to his left to see the Meteor and the rocket as it flew steadily away from them and getting smaller toward Meteor. "So long, Shinra No.26." Cid bade farewell to the rocket before he sat back down in his chair and put on his seat belt again.

The escape pod fell until it hit the exosphere around the planet, went through it then it hit the thermosphere under the exosphere which caused a wave of fiery red light/fire to appear and covered the outer exterior of the pod until it became a hot and glowing ball of red light/fire. The pod began shaking slightly vigorously as it fell rapidly down and through the atmosphere and caused Cloud, Angelina and Selwyn to exchange nervous and slightly fearful looks to each other except for both Cid and Shera, who sat in their seats with calm looks on their faces.

Meanwhile, the rocket (which is completely devoid of its passengers now) continue to flew closer and closer toward the Meteor, flew through the hot and stormy reddish orange-coloured flames around the Meteor until the rocket collided against the Meteor and exploded with a loud blast that was very powerful while emanating a bright white light which completely covered the Meteor and grew bigger while heading down toward the planet.

XXXX

Inside the upper-level city of Midgar, the civilians gathered together near the Shinra company before a man suddenly raised and pointed his left arm up toward the sky when he saw the bright light coming from the Meteor and the rest of the civilians lifted their heads to look up at the sky as well before they quickly covered their eyes and ears with their hands from the bright light.

XXXX

The bright light spread far across the surface of the planet, covering/blocking the sky and the clouds from the people's views and reached Cosmo Canyon in seconds. In his 3D hologram room inside his house at the top of the canyon, Bugenhagen is currently floating silently in front of the hologram of the planet and the hologram of the Meteor floating silently above it and he had been watching as the rocket flew and collided against Meteor and which caused him to quickly covered his eyes with his left arm from the bright light emanating from the Meteor.

XXXX

After a few seconds, the bright light and the loud sound of the explosion blast began to slowly retreated and fade away from Midgar city, the sky and the planet until everything became visible again. The civilians standing with their hands covering their ears and their eyes closed in fear slowly opened their eyes and lowered their hands from their ears before they quickly raised their heads to look up and their eyes widened in horror/fear/dismay when they saw that Meteor was still there.

XXXX

The rocket that had just collided and exploded against the Meteor only succeeded in destroying a huge part of its hard, rocky outer shell and breaking it into several large chunks of rocks away from its main body. But those several broken chunks of rocks were held in place by several giant bolts of bluish-white coloured electricity that flashed out from the inner shell of the Meteor as it continue to move forward toward the planet.

XXXX

In his 3D hologram room inside his house, Bugenhagen slowly shake his head in dismay when he saw that the hologram of the now partially destroyed Meteor is still floating and coming closer toward the hologram of the planet.

XXXX

Back in the upper level city of Midgar, the civilians were very devastated by what they just saw above them that some of them started to shake their heads and covered their faces with their hands and wailed openly in fear/anguish while others fell to their knees and hit the ground with their clenched fists as frustration/fear/despair completely filled their minds and hearts.

XXXX

"The plan that Rufus and his directors/colleagues had just executed against Meteor was a total failure…" said Cloud in a grim tone of voice to Angelina, Tifa and the rest of his friends/companions before both he and Angelina take a few steps forward toward the front of the main control room inside the Highwind, stopped in their tracks to look out the window and they shake their heads a little.

"If only there was another way to get rid of the Meteor completely." said Angelina sadly to Cloud, who stay silent.

"What a bust…" said Barret as he sighed grimly to himself. "But I kinda hope that it'd work."

"We've been botherin' them as much as we can…" said Cait Sith miserably as he lowered his head and kicked his feet gently on the Mog machine's head and Nina raised and placed her hand on his shoulder to console him a little when she noticed the miserable look on his face. "But there ain't no other way… Wonder if all of us had been wrong all this time?" said Cait Sith sadly to the others (while turning his head to give Nina a grateful look for her consoling).

"Makes you worry about it, doesn't it?" said Red XIII as he slowly shake his head.

"Don't worry, you guys!" said Tifa as she suddenly turned around to glance at all of them. "Think!"

"Think? About what, Tifa?" said Nina without looking at Tifa.

"Be quiet, girl! This girl's right!" said Cid as he raised and pointed a finger at Tifa before he turned to glared lightly and accusingly at Cloud, Angelina and the others. "If all of you start worryin' then there's no stoppin' it! Things will just start fallin' apart and get worse and worse."

"You're pretty damn optimistic!" said Barret as he turned to glance at Cid. "You up to something'?"

"Yeah, you bet I do." said Cid as he turned to glance at Barret. "I've been thinkin' about this and that. All the time we've been up there in outer space and lookin' down at the planet. I've been thinkin' even when we were floatin' in the ocean in that escape pod before you guys came to get us."

"What about you 2, Cloud, Angelina?" said Laina as she turned to glance at them both. "What are both of your thoughts on this?"

Both Cloud and Angelina heard what Laina just said to them and they sighed a little before they turned away from the window to glance back at their friends/companions. "I've… been thinking about it too, everyone. About the universe… the planet… and the ocean." Cloud began saying quietly to them.

"Like about how big and wide… And that no matter where we go and what we do, it won't change a single thing." Angelina finished saying.

"Maybe you 2 are right." said Cid as he glance and nodded his head in agreement to both Cloud and Angelina. "But I came up with something different." Cid trailed off and turned around to glance at Laina, Phemie, Crisis and Kunsel. "I always thought that this planet was so huge. But after I looked down at it from outer space, I realised that it's so small." Cid turned to glance at Barret, Yuffie and Selwyn. "All of us are just floatin' in the dark… which kind of makes you feel powerless. On top of that, it's got Sephiroth festerin' inside it like a sickness." Cid turned to glance at Cait Sith, Nina, Carter, Red XIII and Vincent. "That's why I say this planet's still a kid. A little kid sick and trembling in the middle of this huge universe."

"And someone's gotta protect it, isn't it, Cid?" said Laina.

"Yup, that's right, girl." said Cid as he turned and nodded his head in agreement at Laina. "And that someone's is all of us."

"Cid…. what you just said to us is beautiful." said Tifa as she smiled at Cid.

"Yeah, Cid. You spoke your words really well." said Phemie approvingly to Cid.

"Yo! Cid! You even got to me!" said Barret, impressed by Cid's words. "So, now what? How are we gonna protect the planet from Meteor and Sephiroth?"

All of them looked at Cid expectantly (except for Laina and Vincent, who had calm/blank looks on their faces), waiting for his next words. Cid slowly turned around to glance at each of them, raised his left arm to scratch the back of his head a little before he turned to his right, walked over toward the back of 1 of his pilots, stopped in his tracks and sat himself down on the floor.

"… I'm still thinkin' about that." Cid told them and some of them sighed and shake their heads at Cid before all of them split up and returned to their usual places in the main control room on the Highwind airship, all of them thinking about what they can do in order to save the planet. As they began thinking hard about it, none of them noticed Red XIII suddenly raising his head to look frantically around the main control room while turning his ears left and right to hear something clearly.

"Huh!?" said Red XIII in confusion to himself before he barked sharply at everyone to get their attentions and they immediately ceased their own thinking to glance at him.

"What is it, Red XIII?" Cloud asked Red XIII.

"Did you guys… hear something?" said Red XIII to Cloud, Angelina and the others.

"Hear what, Red XIII?" asked Barret.

"Listen." said Red XIII to Barret.

Everyone fell silent as they try to listen carefully to what Red XIII is trying to tell them all to listen and they soon heard a clear and slightly loud cry/wail of pain/anguish coming into the airship from nowhere but could be heard everywhere at once.

"What the heck?" said Phemie in a shocked tone of voice before she turned to glance at Laina. "What is this, sister?" Phemie asked Laina.

"The planet's scream… or Meteor…?" said Tifa before Laina could answered her question. "Is it this planet?"

"Most probably, Tifa." said Laina with a small nod of her head.

"What are you 2 talking about?" said Crisis as he glance at both Laina and Tifa in confusion.

"We'll tell you guys about it later." said Laina to Crisis.

"Hey, how do we know that this is really the scream of the planet?" said Cloud skeptically to his friends/companions.

"Have you forgotten already, Cloud?" said Angelina as she glance at Cloud. "That's what Red XIII grandfather, Bugenhagen told us back in Cosmo Canyon days ago."

"Oh yeah, you're right, Angie. I completely forgot about him." said Cloud as he crossed his arms over his chest while nodding his head in agreement at Angelina.

"Let's go see Grandfather, everyone!" said Red XIII excitedly to Cloud, Angelina and the others. "To Cosmo Canyon! I'm sure that he'll be able to tell us something that could be helpful."

"Red XIII, we know that you're very eager to see your grandfather right now but why don't we go see him tomorrow right after we go and get the last Huge Materia from the submarine lying on the ocean floor in the ocean under Junon in the morning?" said Laina to Red XIII. "Besides, it's getting kinda late now, isn't it, Red XIII? And some of us are getting kind of tired."

"But, Laina…" Red XIII began to protest to her and got cut off by Cloud.

"Laina's got a point, Red XIII." said Cloud to Red XIII. "The Huge Materia inside the submarine is an important materia that we just can't afford to ignored and we also can't let the Shinra get their hands on it again."

"… Alright then, Cloud. We'll go see Grandfather tomorrow morning right after we get the Huge Materia inside the submarine." said Red XIII in reluctant agreement to Cloud. Cloud nodded his head to red XIII before he approach and told Cid to take them back to Junon. Cid nodded to Cloud before he told his 3 pilots to bring them to Junon and they did so. Another half hour later, the Highwind airship arrived and landed on the ground near Junon before Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions got off the airship, went into Junon to have something to eat and drink and a place to sleep to replenish their strength and stamina before morning comes.


	74. Chapter 74

**Chapter 74: Getting the final Huge Materia and the Key to the Ancient before heading back to Cosmo Canyon**

The next day, Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions got up early from their rests/slumbers, had a quick breakfast before they left Junon and Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel split up from the rest of their friends/companions to head toward the small alcove hole where the submarine is and they boarded the submarine and Cloud drove it down into the ocean while the others went back to the airship and waited for their return.

A few minutes later, Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel found the destroyed red-coloured submarine (and both Cloud and Angelina winced when they saw the moderate damage that they had caused on the red submarine a day ago) lying at the bottom of the ocean floor among the grey-coloured lifeless rocks and several coral reefs.

"So this is the Leader Sub…" said Cloud to himself as he drove their own submarine closer to the other submarine and brought their submarine to a stop right above the submarine's hatch, which is now broken open and which makes it easier for them to get the Huge Materia that glowed brightly inside the pitch black interior of the ruined submarine. "Damn… makes me sick just thinking about it…"

"Then don't think about it, Cloud." Laina told Cloud as she pressed a button to activated their submarine's retrieval program and a few seconds later, all 4 of them heard the humming sound of the crane device leaving and returning from below their submarine and another few seconds later, they heard the sound of beeping coming from the monitor screen in front of Cloud as it analyzes the important item that they had just obtained out of the ruined submarine.

" _Analysis complete… Huge Materia recovered…"_ announced a computerized male voice to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel. "… _no damage appears to have been sustained…"_

"… Phew… That's good to hear." said Cloud as he sighed in relieved.

"Yeah, Cloud." said Angelina in agreement to Cloud.

"I'll go and get it now, everyone." Laina told Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel (who nodded their heads at her) before she stood up, turned and left the main control room.

XXXX

" _Woah, the aura emanating out of this Huge Materia is quite immense."_ thought Laina in awed to herself as she took the final (and dripping wet) Huge Materia out and away from the crane device, stared at it for a few seconds then wiped the droplets of water away from it before she placed it carefully/gently under her right arm. " _Now that we have the last one, it's time for us to leave Junon and head toward Cosmo Canyon to see Bugenhagen."_

" _No, Laina. You guys can't leave just yet."_ said Yakumo's familiar and gentle voice suddenly inside Laina's mind, which caused her to jumped in surprise and she nearly dropped the Huge Materia under her right arm.

" _What the heck? Is that you again, Yakumo?"_ Laina asked her. " _I thought that we can only talk or meet when I'm sleeping or unconscious."_

" _Yes, it's me, Laina."_ replied Yakumo. " _I don't know how but now I can somehow talk to you when you're awake and I'm sorry if I surprise or frighten you when I suddenly talk to you."_

" _Yeah, you sure did, Yakumo. And I accept your apology and your explanation."_ said Laina to Yakumo. _"Now, what do you mean by we can't leave just yet, Yakumo?"_ Laina asked her for the second time.

" _Because you guys have to search an underwater cavern and go into the cavern to get another important item after you guys found it."_ Yakumo told Laina.

" _Why, Yakumo? What's so important about this "item" inside an underwater cavern that you wanted us to find and get?"_ said Laina, feeling a little suspicious.

" _Because it's a key to a certain forgotten city, Laina. I'm sure that you knew of what I just said to you."_ said Yakumo.

" _You mean that…"_ Laina began saying to Yakumo when she finally realised what Yakumo just told her.

" _Yes, exactly, Laina. Now that you know, you should go and tell Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel about it and get it before you guys leave Junon."_ said Yakumo.

" _Alright then, Yakumo. I'll go and tell them now. Thanks for the information."_ Laina told Yakumo (who disappear from her mind now) before she turned and walked toward the main control room where Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel were waiting.

XXXX

"What took you so long in getting the Huge Materia, Laina?" Kunsel asked Laina when he, Cloud and Angelina saw her re-entered the main control room while holding the Huge Materia under her arm.

"Sorry for the wait, guys. It's just that the crane device holding the Huge Materia is a little rusted and that's why it took me quite a little while trying to pried open the crane to get it out." said Laina in a slightly apologetic tone of voice to them before she glance at Cloud. "Cloud, before we leave, do you think you could drove the submarine around the ocean to search for an underwater cavern for a while?"

"Why, Laina?" asked Cloud suspiciously at her. "We got the final Huge Materia with us now so there's no reason for us to be in the ocean anymore."

"Yes, I know that, Cloud." said Laina as she began scowling at him. "But it's important that we must find this underwater cavern so we can get the "key" that lies within before we leave."

"Key? What "key" are you talking about, Laina?" Angelina asked Laina, confused.

Laina sighed before she proceed to tell Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel about the "key" and it's close connection to a certain forgotten city. They listen quietly to her words before Cloud reluctantly agreed to drove the submarine around the ocean to search for the underwater cavern and the "key" that lies within. After another few minutes, they spotted a cave entrance in the huge rock wall and as Cloud led the submarine through the entrance and he turned on the submarine's outer lights to lit up the interior of the dark cavern, he, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel soon saw a kind of old, delicate and strange-looking wooden stick jammed tightly to the ocean floor and which is perfectly straight and had numerous branches sticking out of it at well-positioned intervals showing on the monitor screen in front of them. Laina then pressed the button to activate the retrieval program before they heard the sound of the humming of the crane device leaving and returning from below their submarine, heard the sound of the beeping from the monitor screen as it analysed the "key" item which they had just obtained before Cloud quickly turned the submarine around to leave the cavern then he drove the submarine upward to the surface of the ocean and toward the small alcove hole near Junon before they got out of the submarine, headed and went into the airship before Cid and his 3 pilots flew the airship upward to the sky, turned and headed in the direction of Cosmo Canyon, leaving Junon behind.

XXXX

An hour later, the airship arrived and landed down on the grassy plains just outside of the cliffs around Cosmo Canyon (since the rocky cliffs around the rough/rugged canyon landscape makes it hard for Cid and his 3 pilots to land the airship) before Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions got off the airship and they walked the rest of the way past the cliffs toward Cosmo Canyon.

Once Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions are inside the village of Cosmo Canyon, they watched as Red XIII swiftly broke away from them and run up the stairs toward the house at the top of the canyon where his grandfather is without looking back or waiting for them. Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Phemie, Crisis and Kunsel decided to followed after Red XIII up the stairs to Bugenhagen's house (while they carried the 4 pieces of Huge Materia with them) while Barret, Tifa and the others decided to rest near the bonfire in the center of the village.

After Cloud, Angelina and 4 of their friends/companions reached the top of the canyon and went into Bugenhagen's house, all 6 of them walk around the interior of the house to search for both Bugenhagen and Red XIII until they found the both of them waiting for them inside the same large room where his 3D-holographic machine (and other machines) is.

"Ho Ho Hooooo, welcome back, all of you." said Bugenhagen as he smiled broadly at Cloud, Angelina and 4 of their friends/companions. "If any of you are in need of my wisdom, you are always welcome here."

"Yeah, that's why we came." said Cloud as he nodded his head to Bugenhagen.

Bugenhagen turned to look away from them, folded his arms behind his back before he slightly jumped up and down a little. "What to do? Have you lost your way? When that happens to each of us, that's when we stop to take a good long look at ourselves." Bugenhagen turned to look back at them, looking especially at Cloud, Angelina and Laina. "There's always something hidden within the deepest reaches of our hearts. Something buried so deep that some of you don't want to remember the pain and anguish of it or something that some of you have forgotten completely. But sooner or later, all of you must let whatever it is that you've buried or forgotten deep in your hearts out to the open to remember and relive it…" Bugenhagen told them. "And whatever that is, must certainly be what can help some of you to move on or it could be what some of you are looking for…"

"I'm sorry, Mr Bugenhagen. But I don't have a single clue at what you just say to us." said Phemie, confused.

"Neither do I." said Crisis as he nodded his head in agreement to Phemie.

"That's easy for you to say, Bugenhagen." said Cloud as he shook his head in frustration at him. "But I can't remember a single thing that I've forgotten."

"It must be there. Try to look and remember harder!" Bugenhagen insisted at them, who sighed before they close their eyes to try to think hard about it, but nothing came to them.

"… This isn't good." said Angelina as she slowly shake her head before she glance at Cloud. "Cloud, why don't you call Tifa and the others to come?"

Cloud glance and nodded to Angelina before he pull his phone out of his pocket to call for Tifa and the rest of their friends/companions to tell them to come to Bugenhagen's house. A few minutes later, Tifa, Barret and the rest of their friends/companions came into Bugenhagen's large 3D-hologram machine room, joined up with Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Phemie, Crisis and Kunsel before they told them all what Bugenhagen just told them to do and all of them soon closed their eyes and began thinking hard.

"Do all of you see it?" Bugenhagen asked all of them. "What it is that all of you are searching for?"

"Nope. Not a thing." said Cait Sith to Bugenhagen as he let out a small sigh and shake his head a little. "Naw. Can't come up with a single thing."

"Me either!" said Yuffie loudly before she turned to scowled at Bugenhagen. "I don't get any of this!"

"Sorry, Mr Bugenhagen. It looks like none of us were able to remember what is it you wanted us to try to remember." said Laina apologetically to Bugenhagen.

"I remember Aeris a lot." said Cloud suddenly before he frowned and lowered his head to look down at the floor. "No…that's not it." Cloud corrected himself. "You haven't remembered. You haven't forgotten. That's not it… How would you say it… Aeris was right there all along. Right by our sides. She was so close, we couldn't see her. What Aeris did… The words she left behind…"

"Now that you say it, Cloud… I remember her as well." said Angelina.

"That reminds me… I was the same too, Cloud, Angie." said Tifa as she glance at both Cloud and Angelina.

"… As was I." said Red XIII as he nodded his head.

"Me too…" said Barret.

"She told us that she was the only one who could stop Sephiroth's Meteor." said Cloud to Angelina, Tifa, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions as the memory of both Aeris and Laina standing in the sleeping forest with him and Angelina suddenly came and he replayed Aeris's last words to him and Angelina over and over in his mind.

"But Aeris is dead, Cloud." said Laina sadly to Cloud.

"Is it impossible for us to carry on… what Aeris tried to accomplish on her own?" asked Red XIII as he glance at Cloud.

"We ain't no Ancients, if that's what ya mean." replied Barret sceptically at Red XIII's question.

"What, did that girl go off to that place?" asked Cid suddenly to them.

"That's it!" exclaimed Cloud as he lifted his head and snapped his fingers suddenly.

"What is?" said Cid as he and the others glance at Cloud in confusion.

"We don't know about it. What did Aeris know?" said Cloud to Angelina, Tifa, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions. "Why did she faced Sephiroth without running away? And it's not just because Laina went there with her first before we came after them both days ago!"

"I see…" said Red XIII as he finally realised/caught on to what Cloud just said/told them all. "She returned there once again, isn't that right, Cloud?"

"Yes, that's right, Red XIII." said Cloud as he glance and nodded his head in agreement at Red XIII.

"Hmmm… Perhaps I'll have all of you to take me there." said Bugenhagen thoughtfully to all of them.

"You're coming with us, Grandfather?" said Red XIII in a surprise tone of voice to Bugenhagen.

"What's so surprising about that, Nanaki…?" said Bugenhagen in a slightly reprimanding tone of voice to Red XIII, who immediately lowered his head to glance down at the floor in embarrassment and a little shame. "Even an old man like me wants to get out from time to time and see the outside world. I wonder what did it? I haven't felt like this in ages."

"It must be the Planet, Grandfather." said Red XIII as he smiled proudly at Bugenhagen. "The Planet is calling you!"

"Yeah, hoo boy, the Planet calling… yeah right." said Cid sarcastically while he rolled his eyes at what Red XIII just said to Bugenhagen (which make Red XIII turned his head to glared at him) before he turned and walked out of the room.

"Ho Ho Hooooo. Then let's go, everyone." said Bugenhagen happily to Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions and they all nodded back to him before most of them began to leave the room 1 by 1, leaving Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel standing behind with Bugenhagen.

"Is there something else the 4 of you wanted to ask me about?" Bugenhagen asked Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel when he saw that they didn't leave with their friends/companions.

"Yeah, there is 1 more thing we wanted to ask you, Bugenhagen." said Cloud to Bugenhagen before he, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel pull out and show him the 4 pieces of Huge Materia that they carried with them. "We're carrying around these 4 Huge Materia. They're very important and delicate items and we would like to keep them in a safe place…"

Bugenhagen look at each of the Huge Materia that they were holding carefully in their hands with great interest in his eyes before he nodded to them. "Ho Ho Hooooo, I see. Then let's put them upstairs."

"Thank you, Bugenhagen." said Angelina as she smiled gratefully at him.

"Now, shall we be on our way? " Bugenhagen said to them and they nodded to him before they watched as Bugenhagen turned and began to floated toward the control panel built on the floor next to a machine against the right side of the wall and they approach and joined him. "Now, I'm going to teach all 4 of you on how to operate this machine. Watch carefully now, You just pull this here…" Bugenhagen told them and they nodded and watched as he grabbed and pull the lever on the control panel down before they watched as the lights in the room around them dimmed down into darkness then came back on a few seconds later before they felt the floor under their feet began to rise and sent them up to the observatory room above, where Bugenhagen watched the holograms of many stars and planets and also the events which happens on the Planet.

Once Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel were inside the observatory room with Bugenhagen, the 4 pieces of Huge Materia which they were holding in their hands started to floated out of their hands and they let them go and watched as the 4 pieces of Huge Materia floated slowly across Bugenhagen's holographic solar system before they decided to split up and floated in 4 different corners of the holographic solar system, stopped and remained floating in thin air. Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel and Bugenhagen then split up to approach and began to examined each of the 4 floating pieces of Huge Materia closely, but when Cloud began examining the pure blue-coloured Huge Materia in front of him, he (and the others) suddenly heard the sound of a loud roar coming out of it.

"What was that?" said Kunsel in an alarmed tone of voice as he, Laina and Bugenhagen quickly turned around to glance at the Huge Materia in front of Cloud while Angelina make her way toward Cloud.

"What is it, Cloud?" Angelina asked Cloud, who didn't say anything to her before he glance at her and tilted his head at the Huge Materia to tell her to look closely at it. She raised her eyebrow at him in confusion before she walked forward to take a closer look at the Huge Materia and she soon saw the figure of a six-winged dragon moving inside the Huge Materia.

"Is that… Bahamut…?" Angelina asked Cloud.

"Looks like it, Angie." replied Cloud.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel and Bugenhagen then heard the sound of 3 more dragon roars roaring back in reply to the first dragon roar (which caused it to roar back at them as well), until all 4 dragons were roaring in unison together in the room. Cloud, Angelina and Laina then felt their Bahamut, Neo Bahamut and Bahamut Fury summon materia began to shake and glowed brightly in their pockets and they quickly pull them out of their pockets to glance down at them. Soon after they do so, the Huge Materia floating in front of both Cloud and Angelina began to glowed brightly with the 3 glowing summon materia in their hands which caused all 5 of them to raised and covered their eyes with their arms from the bright lights and they didn't watched as another summon materia began appearing/forming itself under the Huge Materia before it fell, landed on the floor, rolled and came to a stop near Cloud's feet. A few seconds later, the 3 summon materia in Cloud, Angelina and Laina's hands and the floating Huge Materia in front of both Cloud and Angelina ceased their glowing and fell into silence.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel and Bugenhagen then lowered their arms from their eyes when they saw that the 3 summon materia and the Huge Materia had ceased their glowing and Cloud bent down to picked up the summon materia (which is Bahamut ZERO summon materia) lying near his feet, look at it for a few seconds before he, Angelina and Laina put the 4 summon materia back into their pockets.

"Are all of you done now?" Bugenhagen asked them.

"Yes, Bugenhagen. We're done now." replied Cloud to Bugenhagen.

"Ho Ho Hooooo. Good." said Bugenhagen as he smiled at them. "Now, let us be off. And do any of you remember how to use and operate the machine below?" Bugenhagen asked them.

"Yeah, we remember, Bugenhagen." replied Angelina with a nod of her head.

"If any of you want to see these 4 pieces of Huge Materia, come back here anytime." Bugenhagen told them and they nodded to him before all 5 of them left the large 3D-holographic room, left Bugenhagen's house, left Cosmo Canyon with the rest of their friends/companions and head back to the airship before they head toward the City of the Ancients.


	75. Chapter 75

**Chapter 75: Heading back to the City of the Ancients and knowing the truth/reason of Aeris's death**

An hour later, the airship arrived at the distant snowy northern continent and Cid and his 3 pilots landed and parked the airship down on the grassy plains outside and near the excavation/camping site of the Bone village before Cloud, Angelina, Laina (who placed and strapped the "key" behind her back next to her Geneva saber to bring with her) and the rest of their friends/companions got off the airship (except for Cait Sith, Nina and Carter), turned and swiftly went through the entrance into the village before they went through the opened doorway into the Sleeping Forest.

A somber silence fell upon Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions as they walked forward down the path through the now awakened Sleeping Forest toward the greenish-white light shining at the end of the path (while Red XIII stay close to Bugenhagen side during their silent walk while Bugenhagen himself decided to look at the Sleeping Forest around him with fascination in his eyes). A few minutes later, Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions walked out of the greenish-white light before they continue to walked down a clear rocky path past the bushes, trees and corals growing out of the rocky ground around them, walked down the bony scales path toward a shadowy doorway at the depth of the deep canyon and they went through the doorway and finally entered the City of the Ancients.

Once they are inside the City of the Ancients (which remained exactly as it had been the first day/time when they came after Laina, Aeris and Sephiroth only to end up losing Aeris and nearly losing Laina to Sephiroth's cruel and merciless hands) and stopped in their tracks in front of the same 3 bony scales paths that split off and leads into 3 different parts of the city, they try their best to not look at the distant doorway down the middle scales path (which leads toward the large seashell house standing near a deep blue-coloured circular lake filled with still and crystal clear-looking water), especially Cloud himself, who remembered the final moments with a pained/guilty look on his face when he brought Aeris's lifeless yet peaceful-looking body out of the large seashell house, went into the lake and slowly lowered her body into the water while Angelina, Laina and the rest of his friends/companions watched him do so with sad/sorrow looks on their faces.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions then turned to their left to walked down the path and walked past the small cluster of abandon/empty smaller seashell houses around them until they entered and saw a kind of room which looks like a large audience chamber or a shrine carved into the rocky cliff walls with no roof above it and had a staircase made out of hard grey-coloured stones which links the upper and central tiers together. And standing firmly in the middle of the large audience chamber/shrine was a long and large-looking stone pillar with a large stone slab surrounded by a barrier of winding stone branches resting at the top of the pillar with a coral dais standing in the middle of the stone slab while its coral branches surround/curved protectively around the biggest and most beautiful bluish-white coloured crystal (which emitted and filled the entire chamber/shrine with its cool, gentle bluish-white coloured light) which Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions had ever seen with deep awed in their eyes and in their lives.

"This is… Yes… exactly…" said Bugenhagen to himself before he floated away from Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions toward the large glowing crystal lying within the coral branches and look closely at it.

"Did you get anything from it, Bugenhagen?" Cloud asked Bugenhagen.

"Be quiet, Cloud. You're breaking his concentration." Laina told Cloud, which caused him to scowled at her before he fell silent.

"… Just give me a moment." Bugenhagen answered Cloud's question as he leaned forward to try to peer through the branches surrounding the top of the pillar and the crystal which lies inside the coral dais before he floated slowly around the outer perimeter of the pillar to search for an opening and he eventually found one and floated through it to glance at the crystal more closely. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Red XIII walked swiftly across the upper tier floor toward the second stone staircase lying against the wall in front of a stone path which connects the pillar to the upper tier and they went down the staircase and walked across the stone path and they stopped in their tracks behind Bugenhagen, who examined the crystal silently for a few seconds before he turned to glance at them (while Tifa, Barret and the rest of their friends/companions watched them from the other side of the upper tier).

"The vast wisdom and knowledge of the Ancients swirling around this crystal and this place here is telling me one thing." Bugenhagen told Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Red XIII before he slowly shook his head sadly. "The planet's in a crisis… A terrible crisis that is beyond human power or endless time. It says, when the time comes, we must search for "Holy"."

"Search for "Holy"?" said Cloud as he glance at Bugenhagen with a confused look on his face.

"What is this "Holy", Bugenhagen?" Angelina asked Bugenhagen.

"Holy… the Ultimate White Magic." answered Bugenhagen. "White magic that might withstand against Meteor. Perhaps our last hope to save this planet from Meteor. If a soul seeking Holy reaches the planet, it will reveal itself." Bugenhagen trailed off to chuckled lightly for a few seconds before he resumed his talk. "Meteor, Weapons, everything will disappear. Perhaps, even ourselves."

"Even ourselves!?" said Cloud as he widened his eyes in alarm while Angelina, Laina and Red XIII exchange nervous/fearful looks at each other, same goes for Tifa, Barret and the rest of their friends/companions who listens to their conversations.

"It is up to the planet to decide." said Bugenhagen simply to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Red XIII before he floated slightly above them and the crystal and glance down at them. "What is best for the planet. What is bad for the planet. All that is bad will disappear completely. That is all." Bugenhagen trailed off to chuckled lightly for the second time. "I wonder which we humans are?"

Cloud lowered his head to glance down at the stone slab under his feet while thinking back about everything that Bugenhagen just told him, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions before he lifted his head and turned to glance up at Bugenhagen.

"Search for Holy… How do we do it?" Cloud asked Bugenhagen.

"By speaking to the planet." answered Bugenhagen as he raised and lowered his arms for a few seconds. "But in order to do so, we must get the White Materia… That is the only special materia that will bond the planet to us humans. Only then we can speak to the planet. If our wish reaches the planet, the White Materia will begin to glow a pale green light."

"… This is the end." said Cloud to Bugenhagen while he lowered his head to glance down at the stone slab for the second time with a sad look on his face.

"Huh? What do you mean by that, Cloud?" said Red XIII as he glance at Cloud with a confused look on his face.

"Why he says that is because we know the person who has the White Materia and that person was Aeris." said Angelina sadly to Red XIII while she raised and placed her hand on Cloud's shoulder to console him. "She had the White Materia with her…. But when Sephiroth kill her and she died, it fell from her ribbon, fell from the platform podium and sank into the water."

"Oh, that's right. I remember now, Angelina." said Red XIII sadly to Angelina.

"That's why… this is the end." said Cloud as he shook his head sadly.

"Oh, come on, you guys!" said Laina as she scowled at Cloud, Angelina and Red XIII. "Now's not the time for you 3 to be sad about it. We can't give up just yet!"

"Laina's right, all of you." said Bugenhagen as he nodded his head in agreement to Laina before he chuckled for the third time and his chuckling caused Cloud, Angelina and Red XIII to glance up at him with shocked/anger looks on their faces. "Take a look at this, all of you." Bugenhagen told Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Red XIII as he floated down to them and gestured with his right hand down at the stone slab under their feet and all 4 of them followed his hand gesture and look down at the stone slab. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Red XIII saw nothing at first, but when they look more closely and clearly, they soon saw ancient-looking words and images carved into the stone slab.

"What are these?" Angelina asked Bugenhagen.

"These are the writings and images of the Ancients, Angelina." answered Bugenhagen.

"Can you read them, Bugenhagen?" Cloud asked Bugenhagen hopefully.

"I can't even make them out, what more to say read them!" protested Bugenhagen as he shake his head at Cloud.

"This isn't the time for jokes…" said Cloud as he scowled at Bugenhagen.

"I'm not an Ancient, Cloud. I can't even decipher or read these writings and images carved into the stone slab!" Bugenhagen protested for the second time at Cloud as he floated past between them and the crystal, came to a stop on the left side of the crystal and turned to look away from them. "I may be old, but my eyes aren't completely bad yet. Look closely at this writing here, all of you." Bugenhagen told them before he raised and pointed his finger down at one of the writing/image at the base of the dais.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Red XIII approach and stopped in their tracks behind Bugenhagen, look down at the writing/image on the stone slab where he's currently pointing at and they soon noticed smaller, almost faint-looking but still readable words being scribbled hurriedly beneath the writings/images of the Ancients.

"There's some words written in chalk here…" said Cloud to Angelina, Laina and Red XIII before he got down on one knee to try to see and read the smaller, almost faint-looking words clearly. "… (key)… (in the Music Box)."

"Key? In the Music Box?" said Angelina with a confused look on her face.

" _So that's why Yakumo insists on telling me to tell Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel to get the key."_ thought Laina to herself as she turned her head to look at the key strapped behind her.

"Who wrote those words, grandfather?" Red XIII asked Bugenhagen.

"It was most probably written by a scientist who's been here before us, Nanaki….." Bugenhagen answered Red XIII question before he turned around to glance back at them. "He probably used all of his energy to decipher and make out these 5 words."

"Key…? To what exactly?" asked Cloud as he glance at Bugenhagen.

"I don't know…" admitted Bugenhagen as he raised his left hand to twirled the ends of his white beard between his fingers a little. "But, it probably had something to do with our riddle here. The word riddle… then it must have something to do with Aeris."

After Bugenhagen's done talking to them, Laina choose that moment to pull the key out from behind her and hold it out to Bugenhagen, who widened his eyes in surprise (same goes for Cloud, Angelina and Red XIII when they realised that Laina was right about telling them to get the key then feel suspicious about how she knew about it) when he saw the unique-looking key in her hands before he smiled widely at her and gently took the key from her to see and examine it closely. Bugenhagen then nodded his head in satisfaction after he's done examining the key before he turned to his right, raised and pointed his hand toward a large cylindrical-shaped stone pillar on a small stone platform on the other side of the large chamber and Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Red XIII turned and they saw it too.

"That must be the Music Box over there. And that's where I'll put this key into it." Bugenhagen told them before he began to float away from them and the large pillar holding the stone slab with the crystal on it toward the cylindrical-shaped stone pillar on the small stone platform with the key in his hands, floated over it and landed down near some crystal spires poking upward from the ground behind the pillar. "Watch closely now, all of you." Bugenhagen told them before he lowered and slotted the key down into a hole in the middle of the crystal spires with a clicking sound then he let go of the key and floated backward to watch.

After Bugenhagen slotted the key into the hole and floated backward to watch, the key started to turned itself around and the branches which sticks out of it hit the crystal spires around it and caused them to rang/played out a soft, intricate yet beautiful sound of melody. As Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Red XIII and Bugenhagen watch and heard the melody played on until it came to a stop, they then heard and watch as a gentle rumbling sound came from under the pillar before it began trembling then slid down to the ground. They then heard yet another rumbling sound coming from above them and as they raised their heads to look up at the chamber hole, they soon saw a huge torrent of clear water flowing through the chamber hole and descended down like a waterfall right onto the large pillar holding the stone slab and the crystal above it and completely covering the crystal, stone slab and the pillar from their view.

Angelina slowly make her way toward the waterfall, stopped in her tracks in front of it and she hold out her hand to touch and let the water run through her hand and fingers. " _It feels quite cool to the touch. And it's beautiful."_ thought Angelina to herself as she, Cloud, Laina and Red XIII continue watching the waterfall with awed in their eyes and on their faces (same goes for Tifa, Barret and the others watching from the other side of the chamber).

"Now, go inside, all of you." said Bugenhagen to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Red XIII after he floated back to them. "Hope for the planet may be inside… Or…" Bugenhagen told them before he trailed off into silence.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Red XIII and Bugenhagen walked/floated toward the waterfall, stepped through the waterfall until they're standing on the stone slab inside the waterfall (and they quickly shook the water away from their bodies and clothes) and in front of the crystal, which is glowing even more brightly than before (while it's bright light reflected off the water's surface and it began to cast an image on it).

"This was just a screen to project an image for us to see!" Bugenhagen suddenly announced to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Red XIII, who glance at him with surprise looks on their faces. "Look, all of you! Look at the image being projected on the screen of the waterfall!" Bugenhagen told them before he turned and raised/pointed his right arm at the waterfall in front of them.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Red XIII did as Bugenhagen just told them and look into the water and they widened their eyes in surprise (especially Cloud) when they saw a rippling yet clear image of Aeris started forming, appearing and replaying in the water in front of them. She was kneeling at the center of the platform podium inside the inner City of the Ancients with her head lowered, her eyes closed and her hands clasped in a praying manner in front of her before she suddenly opened her eyes and raised her head to glance up at Cloud (who stands in front of her) and the rest of her friends/companions (who stands outside of the platform podium) and gave them a smile of pure joy and hope.

They then watched with anger and despair on their faces as Sephiroth suddenly appeared high above Aeris while he stared down at her and holding his Masamune sword in his hands before he swiftly descended toward her kneeling form and thrust his Masamune sword through her chest to killed her off without mercy. Sephiroth then lifted his head to glance and smiled evilly/menacingly at Cloud and his friends/companions before he slowly pull his sword out of Aeris's body. Aeris was still for a moment before she closed her eyes for the final time, let out her last breath, tilted her head forward and the movement caused the magenta-coloured ribbon tied around her long brown hair to untangle itself and fall down onto the podium floor behind her, releasing her long brown hair and the small white-coloured materia tucked safely inside it, the White Materia.

The White Materia fell down through the air before it hit the podium floor with a clear clang sound, bounce up into the air for a second before it bounce right over the edge, bounce 1 by 1 down onto the stone pillars straight toward the water before it fell into the water and sanked into its depths.

After the White Materia sanked and landed at the bottom of the water among the pebbles, it began to glowed/emitted a pale green colour.

"… The White Materia… It's glowing." said Cloud as he, Angelina, Laina, Red XIII and Bugenhagen continue to glance at the image/screen on the water with wonder in their eyes.

"Ho Ho Ho! It's pale green!" said Bugenhagen as he chuckled in joy.

"That means that Aeris has already prayed for Holy, Cloud." said Angelina to Cloud.

"Yeah, Angie… After I gave the Black Materia up to Sephiroth… Aeris's words came into our dreams…" Cloud began saying to himself and to the others. "She told us that she was the only one who could stop Sephiroth… And in order for her to do that… she knew that she had to come here since there's a secret here… And that secret was Holy… That's why, she had the White Materia. Aeris knew about this place… and what she had to do. Aeris has left us a great hope. But, it cost her her life… and her future…" Cloud trailed off before he lifted his head to look up toward the roof of the chamber, where the water is still pouring down around the pillar holding the stone slab and the crystal above it. "I'm sorry… Aeris. I should have figured out and known this sooner. You left all of us without a word…. It was all so sudden, and I couldn't think… That's why it took so long for me, Angie, Laina and the rest our friends/companions to find out… But, Aeris, I understand now. Leave the rest to me."

"Don't you mean all of us, Cloud?" Angelina corrected Cloud as she raised and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, you're right, Angie. Sorry about that." said Cloud apologetically to her.

"What Aeris left for us… we mustn't let it go to waste." said Red XIII.

"Of course we won't, Red XIII. Isn't that right, Cloud, Laina?" said Angelina to both Cloud and Laina.

"Of course, Angelina." said Laina as she smiled at Angelina while Cloud nodded his head in agreement to her.

Cloud then turned around to glance at Angelina, Laina, Red XIII and Bugenhagen standing with him before he raised and spread his arms wide and lifted his head to look up at the sky. "Thank you… Aeris." Cloud thanked her before he lowered his arms and lowered his head to look down at the stone slab.

"Now that we know that Aeris's voice has reached the Planet after we saw the White Materia glowing a pale green colour, there's still something not right." said Laina in a worry/troubling tone of voice to them. "Why isn't Holy moving or showing itself yet?"

"You got a point, Laina. Why didn't it?" said Cloud as he shook his head in puzzlement.

"Something must have intercepted and prevented it from moving or showing itself." said Bugenhagen gravely to them.

"Not something, Bugenhagen. Someone like… him…" said Cloud in a low and angry tone of voice before he lifted his head to look up once again. "He's the only one that can do it."

"You're right, Cloud. Sephiroth is the only one who could do it. But where is he now?" said Angelina.

"He's where he's always been, Angelina. Inside the Northern Crater mako cavern." Laina answered Angelina's question.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Red XIII and Bugenhagen then cut off their conversation before they turned and quickly went through the waterfall and leaving the pillar holding the stone slab and the crystal behind. Just as they were about to rejoin with the rest of their friends/companions, the sound of a loud ringing suddenly rang out from Cloud's pocket and caused them to jumped in surprise.

"What the?" said Cloud in a surprise tone of voice before he pull his phone out of his pocket and answered it. He soon heard Cait Sith's voice began talking to him from the other end of the phone.

"Sorry, I was a little surprised, Cloud." said Cait Sith in a slightly apologetic tone of voice to Cloud.

"What happened, Cait Sith?" Cloud asked Cait Sith.

"Do you guys remembered the weird feeling you all had back in Junon? Well, turns out that Rufus had moved the huge cannon away from Junon and that's the weird feeling you all had back then." Cait Sith told Cloud.

"Say what? He moved it? That big thing…?" said Cloud as he shake his head in disbelief. "Moved it to where…? And why?" Cloud asked Cait Sith.

"Rufus wants to use it to destroy Sephiroth." replied Cait Sith. "That huge cannon operates on Huge Materia. But since you guys had 3 of them and we use the last one in the Rocket Plan, Rufus decides to move it to a place where materia…" Cait Sith trailed off in hesitation then resumed telling Cloud. "No, where mako energy is gathered…"

"And where is that!?" Cloud demanded from Cait Sith while a bad feeling began to formed/appear in his mind and soul.

"What is it, Cloud? What's wrong?" asked Angelina.

Cloud quickly closed and put the phone back into his pocket and told Angelina, Laina and the others about what Cait Sith just told him which caused them to gasped and widened their eyes in shock and horror.


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter 76: Hearing about where the Junon cannon is and the appearance of Diamond Weapon**

Back in the cold, dark and large city of Midgar (while the huge Meteor continue to float dangerously in the sky), several Shinra helicopters flew up and around the main headquarters of Shinra company to keep their constant vigil and shining their headlights at all times on the Shinra company, the huge cannon which Rufus and his top directors had ordered to bring from Junon swiftly to Midgar (which had been placed on the northern part of the city at the edge of Sector 8 with a large metallic scaffolding supporting under the huge cannon and with several large pipes connecting the outlets of the mako reactors separating the 8 sectors of the city toward a large power generator within the scaffolding under the huge cannon) and the city below them while dozens of Shinra infantrymen holding assault rifles and sub-machine guns in their hands and standing outside the company were trying to prevent the dozens of angry and terrified civilians who have gathered outside the company and were demanding that President Rufus, his top directors and their employees/assistants to come out and face their retributions to the terrible things that they and their company had done to them and to the planet itself.

While all this is going on outside the Shinra company, Rufus himself was currently holding what he hoped wouldn't be his final meeting as president of Shinra company with 3 of his directors (Reeve, Heidegger and Scarlet) inside his office at the upper level of the company about focusing their powers and efforts to put an end to both Sephiroth and Meteor for survival.

"… That's why, Reeve. It's your job to adjust all of the reactors outputs." said Rufus firmly to Reeve.

"I see…" said Reeve before he lowered his head to look down at the floor uncomfortably, not liking Rufus's plan to use Mako energy to get rid of Sephiroth (and Meteor) one bit.

"Hah, hah, hah! Don't you worry about adjusting it, Reeve." said Scarlet mockingly to Reeve (who lifted his head to glance at her) before her lips widened into a smug and cold smile. "Once you open all of the reactors up all the way, everything will go full speed!"

"Gya hah, hah, hah! The president's sure done it this time!" said Heidegger as he glance at Rufus, Scarlet and Reeve while he stroked his black beard smugly. "If we can only defeat Sephiroth, the idea that Meteor will also disappear with him is based on different objectives!"

"And please remember, Mr. President…" said Scarlet as she quickly turned to glance at Rufus (while Reeve turned to look away from them, looking out the windows). "It was my idea to fire Mako reactor powered shells."

"Will the shells really reach the far snowy northern border?" Rufus asked Scarlet.

"Ah, hah, hah! Of course!" replied Scarlet smugly and confidently to Rufus. "But, Mr. President, please do not call it a Mako cannon. This new weapon will be called…." Scarlet trailed off to built up the suspense of Rufus, Heidegger and Reeve for a few seconds before she tell them. "The "Sister Ray"!"

Reeve sighed heavily at the name Scarlet had just picked for the cannon before he glance at Rufus, who had a concern look on his face while drumming his fingers lightly on the edge of the table behind him as the meeting continue on.

XXXX

After Cloud's done telling Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions about what Cait Sith had just told him about what Rufus and his directors planned to do with the huge cannon in Midgar, all of them immediately turned and run out of the large audience chamber, out of the City of the Ancients and out of the Sleeping Forest to head back toward Bone Village, where both Cloud and Angelina quickly asked 1 of the miners to take Bugenhagen back to Cosmo Canyon which he agreed before they left Bugenhagen behind with the miner in Bone Village, swiftly make their way out of the village and toward the Highwind airship.

As Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions got close to the airship (where they could see Cait Sith, Nina and Carter waving and calling for them to hurry up on the outer deck), Cloud, Angelina and Laina suddenly stopped in their tracks when they felt something very different about the air around them.

"Do you 2 feel it, Cloud, Angelina?" Laina asked both Cloud and Angelina.

"Yeah, we do, Laina." replied Cloud.

"The air around us feel strangely still, quiet yet ominous at the same time, for some reason." replied Angelina.

"Hey, what's wrong now, you three?" said Tifa worriedly as she approach Cloud, Angelina and Laina after she noticed that they weren't following closely behind.

Before Cloud, Angelina and Laina could say anything to her, all 4 of them including the rest of their friends/companions who's already got on and into the airship suddenly felt the ground under their feet started to shake suddenly and violently, causing both Cloud and Laina to quickly grabbed hold of both Angelina and Tifa's arms so that they won't fell to their knees to the ground before they saw with worry looks on their faces that the airship was shaking quite hard from side to side while hearing their friends/companions cried out in surprise and fear on the airship. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Tifa then quickly walked toward the airship and got into it before it flew up from the shaking ground.

XXXX

Somewhere in front of Midgar city, far across the ocean and in front of some large snowy mountains on the northern continent where the violent earthquake began occurring/appearing, the surface of the ocean water began to heave and swelled before something very tall and gigantic burst and rose itself out of the ocean and it turns out to be one of the Weapons called "Diamond Weapon". It's whole body was silver in colour (and which also glinted like diamonds in the sunlight) with large legs and flat feet with massive/menacing sharp claws on it (while its arms were quite small in comparison to its legs), but Diamond Weapon's main strength is the 2 sets of small cannons hidden from view inside the 2 huge, wing-like protusions on its shoulder blades while a huge glowing red orb pulsed lively at the centre of its chest.

After Diamond Weapon came out of the ocean, it began to raised and spread its arms wide open while it opened its jaws to let out a loud and fierce roar before it fell silent, lowered its arms and began making its way forward through the ocean toward Midgar city.

XXXX

Soon after Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions hurried onto the Highwind airship, head toward and stayed inside the large main control room after the airship got off the ground and is now floating above Bone village, all of them suddenly saw a red alarm light and heard the piercing sound of static flashing and crackling inside the main control room around them.

"What's wrong!?" Cid demanded angrily to his 3 pilots.

"It's a strange signal, captain!" the first pilot reported to Cid.

Cid then glance around the room when he saw and heard the red alarm light and the piercing sound of static flashing and crackling for the second time before he glance back at the first pilot. "From where?" Cid asked the first pilot.

The first pilot nodded to Cid before he turned to the scanner on the console to locate the source of the red alarm and the static sound. After he used the scanner to locate the source, got the results and see it with a frown look on his face before he turned to glance at Cait Sith.

"It's coming from this… person (?)" the first pilot told Cid, Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions and they all turned to glance at Cait Sith. Cait Sith look back at them and wondering as to why they're all looking at him like that when the red alarm light and the piercing sound of static came flashing/crackling back inside the main control room, more louder and intense this time and caused both Cait Sith's body and the Mog machine he's standing on to stiffen for a few seconds before they began to raised their arms and jerked their mechanical bodies wildly.

"Wow!" exclaimed Cait Sith in a relieved tone of voice after he managed to break himself free from whatever strange force that had just got hold of him but the Mog machine he's standing on didn't managed to break free of it. Instead the Mog machine began leaping forward toward the front of the main control room (where Cloud, Angelina and Tifa were standing), jumped from foot to foot before it began to spin around quite fast/wildly on the spot (which caused Cait Sith to grab its head firmly to avoid from falling off and which caused Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions to continue staring with astonished/amused looks on their faces except Vincent) for the next few minutes until the Mog machine came to a sudden stop when the red alarm light and the piercing sound of static finally ceased.

"That was quite a surprise, the controls went crazy all of a sudden." said Cait Sith casually to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions after the Mog machine came to a stop.

"Are you alright, Cait Sith?" Nina asked Cait Sith worriedly.

"I'm fine now, Nina. Don't worry about it." replied Cait Sith in a reassured tone of voice to her before both he and the Mog machine started to brushed themselves down. Once they're both done in brushing themselves, Cait Sith then lifted his head to glance at everyone standing around him. "This ain't good… One of the Weapons just came out of the ocean and is heading straight toward Midgar." Cait Sith told them.

"Are you freaking serious?" said Angelina in a surprised tone of voice to Cait Sith, who glance and nodded his head grimly to her.

"The new cannon weapon should be able to stop Weapon, right?" Cloud asked Cait Sith as he shrugged his shoulders a little.

"I don't even know if it's ready or not…" said Cait Sith as he lowered his head to glance down in dismay.

"Hey! What's gonna happened to Marlene!?" Barret demanded angrily to Cait Sith after he pushed his way past Cloud, Angelina and Tifa toward Cait Sith.

"And what about Mrs Gainsborough and Wren, Cait Sith?" added Laina worriedly to Cait Sith.

"Don't you 2 worry about it, Barret, Laina." said Cait Sith reassuringly to them both. "All 3 of them are in a safe place together."

Laina sighed in relieved while Barret raised his left arm to scratch his head a little before he turned to look away from Cait Sith.

"Barret!" snapped Cait Sith when he noticed Barret scratching his head and he began making his way toward Barret and stopped beside him. "What was that scratching just now!?" demanded Cait Sith angrily at Barret. "As long as Marlene is safe, who cares what else happens, right?"

Barret didn't say anything to Cait Sith and Cait Sith sagged his shoulders and drooped his ears down.

"I've been itchin' to say this to ya fer a while now!" said Cait Sith as he lifted his head to glance up at Barret. "When ya and your pals blew the Midgar No.1 reactor up, how many folks d'ya think died?"

"… that was for the life and sake of the Planet. Ya gotta expect a few casualties." Barret mumbled uncomfortably/slightly guiltily to Cait Sith without looking at him.

"A few? Whaddya mean "a few"?" repeated Cait Sith as he turned to look away from Barret and shook his head a little. "What may be a few to y'all is everythin' to those who died… protect the Planet. Hah!" said Cait Sith before he turned and glance at Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the other angrily (except for both Nina and Carter). "Y'all sure sound good! Ain't no one that'd go against ya all. So ya all think ya all can just do whatever the hell ya all want?"

"I don't wanna hear that from no one in Shinra…" said Barret as he turned to glared angrily at Cait Sith while clenching his fist tightly before he turned to look away from him.

"Just as I thought… Y'all are too stubborn to admit your wrongdoings… And nuthin' I can do 'bout that…" said Cait Sith as he sighed in regret and sagged his shoulders sadly.

"That's quite enough of this argument, you two!" said Laina sharply to both Barret and Cait Sith, who immediately turned to glance at her in silence (while Nina scowled at Laina). "What Barret, Cloud, Angelina and the rest of us did back then in Midgar and later on during our journey can't be easily forgotten, no matter what our reasons is but that doesn't mean that we won't try to atone for it. Isn't that right, everyone?" Laina asked all of them.

"Yeah, you're right, sister." said Phemie as she, Cloud, Angelina and Tifa nodded their heads in agreement at Laina.

"Well spoken for an ex-soldier 1st class, Laina." said Crisis as he nodded his head as well.

"I know you, Cait Sith." Tifa began saying to Cait Sith and he turned to look at her. "You and your 2 Shinra employees standing with you just can't quit the company because the 3 of you are worried about those people living in Midgar, right?" Tifa asked Cait Sith, Nina and Carter.

"Yes, we are, Tifa." replied Nina with a small nod of her head.

"…Cloud, Angie. What are both of your decisions now?" said Tifa as she turned to glance at both Cloud and Angelina.

Both Cloud and Angelina closed their eyes in deep thinking for a few seconds about what all of them should do next before they made up their minds and opened their eyes to glance at their friends/companions. "Alright! Let's go, everyone! We'll beat Weapon ourselves!" Cloud told them in a loud and clear tone of voice.

"Hey, Cloud…" Cid began saying to Cloud as he raised his right hand to scratch the back of his head uneasily. "You think we can win against that monster? We got a chance of winnin', right?"

"How would I know, Cid?" said Cloud as he glance and shrug his shoulders at Cid. "But there's no reason for us to just let him go!"

"Cloud's right, Cid!" said Angelina in agreement to Cloud's words. "Take us to Midgar now so we can fight this Weapon!"

"Alright then!" said Cid to both Cloud and Angelina before he told his 3 pilots to drove the airship toward Midgar and they do so (while Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions prepared themselves for their upcoming battle against Diamond Weapon).


	77. Chapter 77

**Chapter 77: Battle against Diamond Weapon and destruction of the Northern Crater barrier**

After the Highwind airship flew up and over the mountains and the ocean (and flew passed Diamond Weapon as it continue to make its way across the ocean toward Midgar while ignoring the airship flying passed above it) away from Bone Village toward Midgar, the airship arrived and landed at the top of a small rocky cliff a few miles outside the perimeter of Midgar's furthermost border and Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions quickly got off the airship, walked down the cliff and away from the airship. They then make their way swiftly toward the beach, stopped in their tracks and pulled their weapons out while they watched and waited for Diamond Weapon to reached the beach.

"Holy Goddess of Gaia, that Weapon thing is beyond gigantic." said Selwyn as he glance at the approaching Diamond Weapon with shock/fear in his eyes and on his face.

"You can say that again, Selwyn." said Carter as he nodded his head in agreement to Selwyn's words. "Can you guys believe how big this Weapon is?"

"Yeah, we can see that, Carter. Thanks for pointing out such an obvious thing to us." said Angelina sarcastically at Carter, who turned his head to scowled at her.

"If you guys are having second thoughts about fighting/battling with us against Diamond Weapon and wanted to back out now, now's the time for you guys to do so and we'll probably won't blamed you two for backing out." Laina told both Selwyn and Carter.

"Are you kidding, Laina? Of course we're not backing out from this fight/battle against that gigantic Weapon." said Selwyn as he scowled at Laina while Carter decided to remain silent.

"Then shut and lock your shocks and fears away and prepared yourself, Selwyn. Same goes for you too, Carter." Laina told them both in a slightly cold tone of voice and Selwyn deepen his scowl at her (while Carter nodded quietly to her) before Selwyn lapsed into silence and look away from Laina.

A few minutes later, Diamond Weapon finally reached the shore and after it stepped foot on dry land, it stopped in its tracks and lowered its head to glance down at Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions standing in front of it while holding their weapons firmly in their hands and Diamond Weapon immediately let out a loud and angry roar at them, thinking that its loud roar would frighten them into turning and fleeing away from it. Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions stand their ground, refusing to allowed themselves be frighten so easily by Diamond Weapon's loud roar before they began to charge toward Diamond Weapon together.

When Diamond Weapon saw that Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions were charging toward it instead of fleeing away in fear from its loud roar, it snarled in anger at them before it lifted then lowered its huge clawed left feet on them with the intention to crushed them flat beneath it. When Laina saw Diamond Weapon feet began to descended on them, she quickly raised both of her hands up above her to create a huge telekinesis protective shield between her, her friends/companions and Diamond Weapon's feet, giving them enough time to turned and move left and right away from Diamond Weapon's feet while Diamond Weapon move its leg away from her shield, roared in annoyed/anger at Laina for interfering it from crushing them flat under its feet before it gathered a ball of semi-large blue-coloured energy in its mouth and it fired its blue-coloured energy down toward her repeatedly. Laina saw the dozens of energy attacks coming toward her and she quickly blocked each of the energy attacks from striking her with her telekinesis before she deflected the energy attacks away from her and her friends/companions to strike back at Diamond Weapon itself.

After Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions moved away from Diamond Weapon's feet, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Cid and Kunsel immediately crouch their legs down then jumped high up toward Diamond Weapon and uses their "Meteorain", "Lunging Strike", "Beat Rush", "Somersault", "Dragon Dive" and "Thundaga Blade" limit breaks on Diamond Weapon (while also dodging away from the energy attacks that Laina deflected back to Diamond Weapon) while Phemie, Crisis, Barret, Selwyn, Carter, Yuffie, Red XIII and Vincent began casting "Hell Firaga" "Hell Blizzaga","Flare" and "Ultima" magic and also uses their weapons to slash, shoot and pierce it's huge body.

Diamond Weapon roared in anger and pain from all of their attacks before it began to gather/charge up the glowing red globe in its chest rapidly then launch a massive beam of energy swiftly toward Phemie, Crisis and the others standing and fighting against it on the ground. When Laina saw the massive beam of energy coming straight toward Phemie, Crisis and the others, she quickly turned and rushed to stand in front of them, raised both of her hands up above her to create a telekinesis protective shield around her and the others. The massive beam of energy struck Laina's shield with a loud bang sound, broke it apart then struck the ground where Laina, Phemie, Crisis and the others were standing, causing the ground to blown apart in a huge cloud of dust/dirt, sending them flying off in different directions and they landed hard on the ground, groaning and grimacing in great pain. After the beam wound on her body is done healing due to the Jenova cells, Laina immediately stood up from the ground after she got sent flying away from her sister and the others from Diamond Weapon's fierce beam attack, turned and rushed her way back toward Phemie, Crisis and the others worriedly and quickly uses her "Pulse of Life" limit break to healed their wounds soon after she reached all 8 of them.

As Laina is busy in healing her sister and the others, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Cid and Kunsel glared angrily at Diamond Weapon for attacking some of their friends/companions before they resumed in attacking Diamond Weapon fiercely with their limit breaks, magic attacks and summons and which caused Diamond Weapon to roar and retaliate fiercely back at them with its huge clawed hands and feet and launching dozens more of energy attacks out of its mouth (which caused them to dodged away from them). After a while of Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Cid, Kunsel and Diamond Weapon battling fiercely at each other (with more help from Laina and the others after Laina's done healing their wounds), Diamond Weapon suddenly ceased its fierce attacks on Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions (which confuses them greatly before some of them lowered their weapons while others put their weapons back behind them cautiously), lifted its head up to look away from Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions and look left and right around it before it suddenly turned sharply and began walking away from them, making the ground shake/tremble with every step it took.

As Diamond Weapon walked away from them, both Cloud and Angelina suddenly run forward away from Laina and the rest of their friends/companions and stopped in their tracks in one of the patch of charred up ground to glance up at the huge form of Diamond Weapon before they glance worriedly/uneasily at Midgar city, where Diamond Weapon is heading to (while they raised their hands to covered their eyes from the bright light of the sun in the sky).

"What's wrong?" Cid called irritatedly up at Diamond Weapon. "It's like you're blowing us off or something!"

"No, Cid, you're wrong." said Angelina to Cid as she slowly shake her head. "It's not blowing us off or anything. It's… feeling something."

"Angie's right, Cid." said Cloud as he nodded his head in agreement to Angelina's words. "… It's sensing murder."

"The both of you are right, Cloud, Angelina. The rest of us are beginning to feel the thick and ominous sense of murder in the air." said Laina grimly while the rest of their friends/companions nodded in silence.

"To my airship now, all of you!" said Cid anxiously to all of them before he turned and began to run toward the rocky cliff where the airship is.

Most of them immediately turned around and run behind Cid toward the airship while Laina stay behind with both Cloud and Angelina when she noticed that neither of them moved an inch from the charred spot which they're standing on. Just as she was about to called them to hurry and head toward the airship with her, the handphone inside Cloud's pants pocket suddenly rang out and Cloud quickly pull his handphone out of his pocket, flipped it open to answer it and he, Angelina and Laina soon heard the shrill, anxious and fearful voice of Cait Sith screeching out of the handphone.

"Oh no! Let's hurry out of here now! Somethin big… I'm talkin' REALLY BIG's coming!"

XXXX

While Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions were battling fiercely against Diamond Weapon until it decided to ceased fighting against them outside Midgar city, Rufus himself is currently pacing back and forth impatiently inside his office at the upper level of Shinra company, waiting for any news about the cannon. A few seconds later, the intercom machine on his desk crackled to life and Rufus ceased his pacing, turned to approach his desk to pressed the button on the intercom machine.

" _Mr President, preparations for the Sister Ray cannon are now ready and in order."_ Heidegger's deep voice bellowed through the intercom to Rufus before he began laughing then trailed off into silence.

Another few seconds later, the intercom crackled to life for the second time and Rufus soon heard Scarlet's high-pitched voice spoke through the intercom. " _Anytime is time, Mr President."_ said Scarlet smugly to Rufus.

Rufus nodded his head in silent approval to both Heidegger and Scarlet reports about the cannon before he turned around to look out the window.

"… Fire the cannon now." Rufus told/ordered to both Heidegger and Scarlet through the intercom machine.

XXXX

After Rufus issued his order out to both Heidegger and Scarlet, both of them immediately get to work inside their offices and soon the cannon sprang to life. The dozen of levers along the outer side of the cannon began to rotate and swing up and down, dozens of white and blue-coloured warning lights lit up along the entire length of the cannon while a loud warning siren began to blared out from below the cannon (which causes the citizens of Midgar to immediately turned around and flee away from the Shinra company and back to their homes).

The next second, mako energy gushes out of the opened top of Mako reactor No.2 up to the air like a steaming/scorching geyser while shining its eerie greenish glow of light down on the sector below. The rest of the 6 mako reactors followed suit after Mako reactor No.2, opening their tops to released the mako energies out from within them like geysers until all 7 mako reactors were gushing out and lighting up like greenish-coloured lights around each sectors of Midgar city.

After all 7 mako reactors opened their tops to released the mako energies out from within them, the mako energies began surging down the long pipes attached to the valves near the tops of each reactors straight toward the Sister Ray cannon. Three of the pipes lead straight into the barrel of the cannon while the other 4 pipes lead toward the power station at the back of the cannon. The mako energies kept on surging out of the reactors and down the pipes toward the cannon until the mako energies that gushes out of the top of all the 7 reactors ceased gushing out their mako energies and completely extinguished all power/electricity to each sectors of the city, plunging Midgar into darkness and silence.

For a short while, nothing happened. Then tiny pinpricks of white lights began to appear and flicker before the tiny pinpricks of white lights change its colours into purple and began to swirled swiftly around the mouth of the Sister Ray cannon. The dozens of rotating and swinging levers along the outer side of the cannon locked themselves in place and in time with the inner cannon shafts that's currently pumping the mako energies inside the cannon to increase it's attack power to its maximum before the swiftly swirling purple lights were absorbed into the cannon's mouth and the cannon immediately opened fire.

The sheer and loud force of the mako energy beam that shot out of the cannon's mouth were so strong that it caused the cannon itself to recoil violently backward and also caused some pieces of the metal scaffolding that supports the cannon and some of the top windows in Shinra company to break apart and fell to the city and some of the citizens below. As for the mako energy beam, it surges rapidly forward away from Midgar city and shows no sign of stopping while the force of the mako energy beam churns up the ground below it, creating a huge cloud of dust and dirt from the ground and leaving a trail of devastation behind it.

XXXX

Rufus smirked and flicked a lock of his blonde hair behind his ear in smug triumph when he saw the Sister Ray cannon fired the beam of mako energy through the window in his office.

XXXX

Diamond Weapon stopped in its tracks at the very edge of Midgar's outer perimeter, turned to glance at Midgar city far in front of it (while it ignored the Highwind airship flying and keeping at a safe distance from it in the sky) before Diamond Weapon opened its huge shoulders/wing-like protusions to reveal the barrage of small cannons hidden within.

After Diamond Weapon opened its huge shoulders/wing-like protusions, the barrage of small cannons within its shoulders and the huge glowing red orb on its chest began to glowed brightly before Diamond Weapon narrowed its eyes and it fired a series of bright yellow energies out of the small cannons in high speed through the air toward Midgar.

XXXX

On the outer deck of the airship, Cloud, Angelina and some of their friends/companions leaned and watched over the edge of the railings as both the huge cannon in Midgar and Diamond Weapon opened fire at the same time.

"Which direction is it going to attack from?" asked Tifa worriedly to Cloud, Angelina and the others.

"Midgar!" replied Red XIII.

"Marlene!" Barret cried out in fear for his daughter who's still being held captive with Aeris's mother and the boy named Wren by Shinra people somewhere in Midgar.

" _Mrs Gainsborough! Wren!"_ thought Laina worriedly in her mind.

" _Uncle Reeve!"_ thought Nina worriedly in her mind as well.

XXXX

In the cross section ground between Midgar city and Diamond Weapon, the mako energy beam and the series of bright yellow energies crossed with each other before the mako energy beam continue onward to the North while the series of bright yellow energies continue on toward Midgar city.

XXXX

After Diamond Weapon is done in firing energies out from its small cannons, it closed its huge shoulders/wing-like protusions up, stand its ground and glance forward in silence, as though waiting for something. A few seconds later, the blue-coloured mako energy beam surged rapidly toward Diamond Weapon (who's still standing its ground), struck and impaled cleanly through Diamond Weapon's chest and its glowing red orb and caused Diamond Weapon to be lifted off its feet and sent flying backward before the mako energy beam broke through and came out of its back and continue onward to the North. As for Diamond Weapon itself, it let out a loud and painful roar when the mako energy beam struck and impaled through its body before it landed hard on its back on the ground with a loud thud, came to a stop and fell silent before the huge body of Diamond Weapon disappear and return to the Lifestream.

XXXX

"Damn…" said Barret with a horrified look on his face when he and the others saw how Diamond Weapon got killed off easily by the mako energy beam.

"It went right through Diamond Weapon…" said Red XIII as he shook his head sadly.

" _This is just… beyond sad, terrible and getting out of hand already. To think that Shinra company would go this far…_ " thought Laina angrily at Shinra company.

"I see! They're after Sephiroth! The crater hole on the northern boundary!" said Cloud to Angelina, Laina and the others when he finally realised where the mako energy beam is heading to.

"Dear Gaia, Cloud! I think you're right!" said Angelina with a fear/horror look on her face. "Their goal is always Sephiroth and Diamond Weapon is just in their way!"

XXXX

By the time Cloud realised and told Angelina, Laina and the others about Shinra's true plan, the mako energy beam had already surged rapidly across the ocean, arrived in the northern continent and surged past the smaller snowy mountains under it toward the huge energy barrier (created by Sephiroth around and outside the Northern Crater hole) and the mako energy beam slammed head first against the energy barrier, causing a bright light to appear upon impact, a thunderous booming sound to pierce the air and also caused the Northern Crater to shake violently from the strong force of the impact. A few seconds later, the bright light, the mako energy beam and the energy barrier disappeared together and the Northern Crater fell into silence.

XXXX

Inside his office at the upper level of Shinra company, Rufus stood near the broken windows to glance down at the Sister Ray cannon (which is now being cooled down while power is being restored to all of the mako reactors and lights came back to the city) while waiting for any reports about the outcome of the cannon's attack on the Northern Crater barrier.

" _Sir! Weapon's been defeated and the barrier around the Northern Crater has disappeared!"_ said an operator's voice triumphantly from the intercom machine to Rufus, who heard what the operator just told him before he slowly turned away from the broken windows, walked back to his desk, lifted his head to glance up at the ceiling and he let out a relieved sigh.

" _Looks like we won't need help from Cloud, Angelina and their large group of friends/companions in taking down both Sephiroth and Meteor after all."_ thought Rufus with a smirk on his face. Just then, the operator's voice spoke out of the intercom machine to Rufus for the second time, filled with panic and fear this time.

" _Sir! A mass of high density energies is heading straight towards Midgar!"_

The smirk fell from Rufus's face and he immediately turned around to glance out the broken windows and he soon saw a series of bright yellow energies coming swiftly across the dark sky toward Midgar, exactly like what the operator just told him.

XXXX

The citizens of Midgar immediately run around the streets (and also run over and knocking/pushing against other citizens) in panic, fear and terror when they saw the series of bright yellow energies raining across the sky above them.

"WHOOA-Weapon's attacking!" yelled the first citizen in fear/panic.

"Run for your lives!" yelled the second citizen in fear/panic as well.

XXXX

Unlike the citizens of Midgar who were currently running around and knocking/pushing against other citizens on the streets in panic, fear and terror, Rufus himself didn't run or scream in fear/panic and remained strangely silent and calm when he saw the series of bright yellow energies came flying toward Midgar through the broken windows of his office. He watched as some of the bright yellow energies struck against some of the lookout towers and the mako reactors, causing them to explode in flames and thick smokes.

" _Looks like I was wrong. It's not us that's going to take down both Sephiroth and Meteor. But it's Cloud, Angelina and their large group of friends/companions who will take both him and Meteor down."_ thought Rufus in disappointment/dismay to himself as he saw 1 of the yellow energy came straight toward his office, struck into his office and himself and caused the office to explode in flame and thick smoke.


	78. Chapter 78

**Chapter 78: Hearing about Hojo's plan and heading back to Midgar to stop him**

After Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions watched Diamond Weapon got defeated and killed off by Shinra company's huge mako cannon weapon after it fired a series of bright yellow energies in retaliation toward Midgar city, they quickly turned around and leave the outer deck of the airship and head back into the airship's main control room while thinking heavily/sadly about Midgar city and it's pitiful/panicking citizens and the Northern Crater, except for both Cloud and Angelina, who's standing and looking out the windows at the front of the main control room and thinking about the Ultimate White Magic called "Holy" (which Aeris gave her life to called/summoned it out for their sake, the sake of the Planet and every living persons on it), a kind of white magic that's strong enough to go against Meteor but is currently being held back by Sephiroth.

"What happened to… Sephiroth now?" Cloud asked aloud to himself as he turned around to look away from the windows.

"Why don't we go to the Northern Crater and see what happened to him after that mako beam energy struck his energy barrier head on, Cloud." said Angelina.

Cloud glance and nodded to Angelina before he turned to glance at Cid and told him to take them to the Northern Crater. Cid nodded to Cloud before he began barking orders at the pilot standing near the controls in front of him and the pilot immediately flew the airship away from Midgar, across the ocean, past the snowy mountains until the airship arrived and hovered to a stop near the outer edge of the huge crater hole.

"Sephiroth's energy barrier is gone…" said Cloud as he, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions glance out the front windows of the airship and look down at the huge crater hole.

"Rufus's and his top directors plan to destroy Sephiroth's energy barrier with their huge cannon weapon is a success." said Angelina.

"But… it's at the cost of depleting some more of the Planet's lifestream." said Laina grimly.

Cloud continue to glance down at the huge crater hole for another few more seconds before he turned to glance at Cid. "Cid! Can your airship get inside?" Cloud asked Cid.

"Huh? He's my student, ain't he!?" said Cid as he raised his right hand to patted the pilot's shoulder slightly roughly while scowling at Cloud's question. "Of course he can go anywhere!"

"Right, sorry about that." said Cloud in an apologetic tone of voice to Cid as he raised his right hand to scratch the back of his head while both Angelina and Tifa chuckled and Laina sighed and shake her head a little at him.

As Cloud talked to Cid before he scratch the back of his head in slight embarrassment when Cid talk back to him, Barret himself is thinking and worried about his daughter, Marlene, who's still in Shinra custody with Aeris's mother and the boy named Wren somewhere inside Midgar. Barret then turned to glance at Cait Sith, Nina and Carter, intending to asked the 3 of them about their 3 hostages, but after he turned to glance at the 3 of them, he saw that both Nina and Carter were staring at Cait Sith with worried looks on their faces when Cait Sith is banging his fists angrily on the Mog machine's head while the Mog machine itself began hopping from foot to foot slightly wildly.

"Hey! What's the matter with that damn cat!?" said Barret irritatedly to both Nina and Carter, who ignored him completely.

Suddenly both Cait Sith and the Mog machine he's standing on suddenly raised their arms high up into the air and Cait Sith himself let out a loud yell, which make Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions jumped in surprise (except Vincent) before all of them turned to glance at Cait Sith.

"Hold it!" said Cait Sith in an angry and panicked tone of voice to himself before he lowered his arms to pressed some buttons then control the Mog machine to move down to the far left corner of the main control room away from Nina, Carter and the others. "Scarlet! Heidegger! What's going on?"

XXXX

Inside the meeting/conference room a few floors below Rufus's office, Heidegger had his phone pressed close to his ear while both Reeve and Scarlet watched him in silence. A few seconds later, Heidegger pull the phone away, closed it and put the phone back into his pocket before he turned around to glance at both Reeve and Scarlet. "Strange. I can't seem to reach the president." Heidegger told both Reeve and Scarlet with a confused look on his face.

"Not the president. To Sister Ray!" said Reeve in an extremely agitated tone of voice to Heidegger.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha. What is it, Reeve?" said Scarlet as she glance at Reeve (while Heidegger began cackling to himself). "You're speaking strangely."

"None of that matters now!" exclaimed Reeve as he turned to glance at Scarlet and shake his head a little. "The reactor's output is increasing all by itself!"

"Ww, wait a minute. That's not wise!" stammer Scarlet while she widened her eyes in shock and fear. "It must cool off for at least 3 hours or it won't work. Reeve, shut off the machine!" Scarlet ordered Reeve.

"We can't do that! It's completely inoperable!" Reeve told Scarlet before he turned to glance away from her, pulled his phone out to begin calling the infantrymen stationed inside the No.2 reactor about the mako reactors status/update.

" _Director Reeve, someone has switched the machine over to mainframe operation!"_ one of the infantrymen reported anxiously back to Reeve. " _We can't operate it from here!"_

"What about the mainframe? Who's over there right now!?" Reeve demanded from the infantryman.

" _We don't know, Director Reeve!"_ said the infantryman.

Reeve cursed angrily, hung up and put his phone away in his pocket before he swiftly turned to glance at Heidegger. "Hey, call the mainframe now!" Reeve demanded/ordered to Heidegger.

Heidegger immediately complied to Reeve's order and pull his phone out to begin calling for the mainframe, but he stopped before he could put his phone close to his ear, lowered and put his phone back into his pocket before he scowled at Reeve. "Huh? Why are you giving me orders now, Reeve?" Heidegger asked Reeve sarcastically.

"I don't give a damn about the details or your stubborn attitude right now, Heidegger!" Reeve snapped impatiently at Heidegger before he turned to look away from him and pulled out his phone to begin calling the mainframe himself.

XXXX

While Reeve, Heidegger and Scarlet were busy in talking/arguing amongst themselves about the huge cannon and the mako reactors status/update before Reeve began calling the mainframe, Hojo, the former Head of Shinra Science Department is currently standing in front of a large control panel machine and is pressing buttons, pulling levers and turning the dials on the control panel machine to opened up the valves on all 7 of the mako reactors while the reactors themselves began absorbing the mako energy from beneath the city.

"Just you wait, Sephiroth. I'll give you all the Mako energy you want." said Hojo with a twisted smirk on his face.

" _Hojo, STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW!"_ Reeve's panicked voice suddenly shouted through the intercom speaker on the control panel machine near Hojo. " _The cannon, no, Midgar itself is in danger!"_

Hojo let out a deep sigh at Reeve's useless words from the intercom speaker nearby him before he began chuckling evilly to himself. "One or two Midgars?... it's a small price to pay." said Hojo to himself as he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

" _Hojo! HOJO…!"_

Hojo completely ignored Reeve's panic yelling through the intercom speaker at him and he stop what he's doing to reached over to turned off the intercom speaker before he resumed in pressing, pulling and turning more buttons, levers and dials on the large control panel machine quickly yet calmly.

"Show me… Sephiroth. It should be near…" said Hojo to himself while the twisted smirk on his face deepen a little. "Ha, ha, ha, ha… Go beyond the powers of science… Before your presence, science is powerless… I hate it, but I'll concede to it. Just… let me see it. Ha, ha, ha, ha…"

XXXX

Back inside the main control room of the airship, Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions heard of Hojo's insane plan to helped Sephiroth out (from Cait Sith talking worriedly and loudly to himself) and all of them were very shocked and furious at Hojo (especially for Laina and Vincent) for doing such an insane thing without any remorse and without thinking about the consequences of the aftermath to Midgar city and its innocent citizens if he managed to succeed in doing it.

" _That crazy son of a bitch scientist! He's completely lost his fucking mind!"_ thought Laina very angrily inside her mind. _"And he doesn't even care about those innocent citizens living above and below Midgar! Damn you, Hojo! Damn you to hell!"_

" _You've gone too far this time, Hojo."_ thought Vincent angrily inside his mind as well.

"YO! Do somethin' about it! Ya big cat!" Barret yelled angrily at Cait Sith.

Both Cait Sith and the Mog machine he's standing on lowered their heads and sagged their shoulders in deep misery before the Mog machine turned around and slowly waddled its way back to both Nina and Carter.

"We're sunk. Hojo's doing this on his own…" Cait Sith told Barret sadly before a thought struck him and his face immediately turned pale. "…?...? H-Huh? Oh, shoot."

"Looks like you just reveal your secret identity to them, Cait Sith." said Nina as she shake her head at Cait Sith's carelessness.

"I don't like this…" said Cait Sith to Nina as he lowered his head and sagged his shoulders even lower.

"You're busted now, Reeve!" said Barret as he approach and stopped in front of Cait Sith with a smug look on his face.

"Now that you guys finally know about his secret identity, which is none other than Reeve Tuesti, Head of Shinra's Urban Development Department, what're you guys gonna do about it?" said Nina as she glance at them.

"It's fine, Nina. They're going to find out and know about my identity sooner or later anyway." said Cait Sith slightly calmly to Nina, who let out a small sigh of dismay before she fell into silence.

"Can't you stop the mako reactors?" Cloud asked Cait Sith while he, Angelina, Laina and the others slowly approach Cait Sith, Nina and Carter.

"… We can't stop it, Cloud." replied Cait Sith sadly.

"You're from Shinra, ain't ya?" said Barret as he glared at Cait Sith. "So why's it impossible!?"

"…" said Cait Sith.

"All of us came a long way to get here. You and your 2 Shinra helpers better not double-cross us now!" said Cid as he scowled at Cait Sith.

"Of course we're not double-crossing all of you now!" Nina snapped at Cid. "After all this time, you still don't trust the 3 of us?"

"Be quiet, you little wench!" Cid snapped angrily back at Nina before he glance at Cait Sith. "You damn fool! Don't you understand anything I'm saying?" Cid yelled angrily at Cait Sith. "I don't give a damn about Shinra anymore. If you're a man… no, if you're a human being, you'll save the planet! Don't you even care?"

"No way! If we shut down all of the reactors, all hell will break loose!" said Cait Sith as he shake his head worriedly at Cid's words.

"Why not?" said Cid, confused. "Can't you just shut off all of the valves on all of the reactors?"

"Yeah, it's easy to shut off all of the pipe valves on all of the reactors… But all of the reactors made a path for the mako energy to escape from below." Cait Sith began saying then trailed off into silence.

"Once you open that, it'll be impossible to close it up until everything blasts out… and since we can't try to stop the mako energy from gushing out…" finished Nina before she trailed off into silence.

"It'll eventually caused an explosion." said Phemie in a worry/fearful tone of voice.

"Exactly, Phemie." said Cait Sith with a fearful nod of his head to her. "This explosion blast'll be way bigger and stronger than when the number 1 reactor blew up!"

"Damn…!" growled Barret as he shake his head.

"We should forget about the Northern Crater and Sephiroth and focused on THE CANNON NOW, EVERYONE!" Cait Sith yelled loudly at Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions. "We've got to turn around and swiftly head back to Midgar! That's the first thing!"

"Yeah, you're right, Cait Sith." said Cloud as he nodded grimly to Cait Sith before he glance at Laina first then at Vincent, since he knew that both of them had major grudges/hatreds for the twisted/insane scientist. "We must stop Hojo… first."

XXXX

"Looks like Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions are on their way." Reeve informed both Heidegger and Scarlet after he's done analyzing the datas he received from Cait Sith, his niece and her soldier boyfriend. "Stay out of their way, both of you!"

Heidegger widened his eyes in shocked at what Reeve just told him before he burst into laughter. "Don't be so ludicrous, Reeve! I don't recall you giving me any orders!" Heidegger told Reeve. "The Peace Preservation will give their best efforts to make the enemy retreat!" Heidegger then trailed off, clench and shake his fists in silent anger. "Because of them, I… I…!"

"That's a private matter, Heidegger." said Reeve calmly to Heidegger. "Why don't you put what Cloud and his friends/companions did to you in the past behind you?"

"No, never!" Heidegger snapped at Reeve. "Now that the President is dead, I'm doing things my way now and I'm not gonna let you or anyone else stops me!" Heidegger told Reeve before both he and Scarlet began to laughed loudly and smugly together.

"Heidegger! Now I'm going to use the new weapon!" Scarlet told Heidegger after she's done laughing with him and he nodded to her before she clicked her fingers and 3 infantrymen who stands guard outside the conference/meeting room came running into the room to surround Reeve while raising and pointing their assault rifles threateningly near his head. Reeve glance at the 3 infantrymen surrounding and raising/pointing their assault rifles at him in surprise before he glance at both Heidegger and Scarlet, saw the cold and beaming looks on their faces and he now knew that they had planned to do this to him all along.

Both Heidegger and Scarlet laughed loudly and smugly for the second time before they turned and leave the conference/meeting room, leaving Reeve behind in the custody of the 3 infantrymen.

"Hey! Wait!" Reeve protested to them but they pay him no heed. Reeve then shake his head in dismay before he raised his head to glance up at the ceiling. "Cloud, Angelina, Laina, everyone! I'm sorry… But!"

XXXX

"But you'll all come, won't you!?" said Reeve's pleading tone of voice to them from Cait Sith.

After all of them heard what Reeve just told them, both Cloud and Angelina slowly approach and stopped in front of Cait Sith, Nina and Carter (who had hopeful looks on their faces).

"Of course we will come, Reeve." said Angelina.

"Just wait for us." said Cloud.

"Thank you, both of you." said Nina gratefully to both Cloud and Angelina.

The rest of their friends/companions standing around them nodded their heads in approval/agreement to both Cloud and Angelina's decision to accept Reeve's heartfelt plea to head back to Midgar to stop Hojo's insane plan.

"Hey!" said Cid as he turned to glance at the pilot in front of him. "I'm leaving the airship in your hands!"

"Yes, captain! I'm taking all of you to Midgar right now!" the pilot told Cid before he and the other 2 pilots standing near the other control panel to his left quickly turned the airship around and head forward away from the Northern Crater toward Midgar.


	79. Chapter 79

**Chapter 79: Battle against Proud Clod**

"We've reached Midgar, everyone!" announced the pilot standing near the control panel in front of Cid after the Highwind airship finally arrived and came to a stop above Midgar.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions nodded to the pilot before they lowered their heads to look down at Midgar through the windows of the main control room. They saw that most of the large city is still covered in darkness, half of the mako reactors slowly draining what's left of the remaining mako energy from the city while the other half is completely dark and lifeless. They also saw some red lights flashing around the exterior of the reactors (which indicates that they're about to go into meltdown mode), some thick smokes floating from the top ruined office of Shinra building and certain destroyed places of the upper sectors/levels of Midgar where Diamond Weapon's yellow energy balls struck them into the air.

"Now that we've arrived, how the hell are we going to get into Midgar?" Barret told Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others from behind. "Because this damn cat and his 2 Shinra spies told us that Midgar's under martial law by those two Shinra scum directors! There'll be no way for all of us to slip our way into the slums."

"That's true, Barret. Not only all of the exits in each sectors of the city had been sealed off, they're also being guarded heavily by Shinra infantrymen to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the city." said Angelina.

"And it looks like all transportation from the slums to the city is cut off as well…" added Tifa grimly to her 2 childhood friends and the others when she saw and realised that all of the trains in the city had stopped.

"Hey, hey, all of you. Whaddaya think we have Highwind for?" said Cid in a cheerful/optimistic tone of voice to them. "Where are we now!?"

"Huh? Where are we…?" said Barret in a confused tone of voice as he lifted his head to glance up at the airship ceiling above him and the others then glance back down at Cid. "We're in the air, of course!"

"Exactly!" said Cid as he smiled widely at Barret. "If land's no go for us… Then we'll go by air!"

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions immediately smiled and nodded their heads in approval to Cid's idea (except for Barret, Red XIII and Cait Sith) before both Cloud and Angelina turned and run past them out of the main control room, with Laina, Tifa and the rest of their friends/companions running/following closely behind them both. Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions run down the stairs, run across the long metal walkway then stopped in their tracks near other crew members of the airship who's holding parachute packs in their hands. The crew members then helped putting the parachute packs on the backs of each of them and Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions thanked the crew members for putting the parachute packs on them (who nodded and saluted back to them) before they run up two staircases, opened and run through the door to the outer deck of the airship.

After Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions stepped out on the outer deck of the airship, Cloud quickly turned and closed the door behind them before he walked past Angelina, Laina and the others toward the edge of the outer deck, raised and placed his leg on the railing of the airship and leaned over to look down at Midgar city.

"Is everyone ready?" Cloud asked them.

"As ready as we'll ever be, Cloud." replied Angelina.

"Alright then, here we go, everyone!" Cloud told them before he jumped over the railing of the outer deck without hesitation. Angelina, Tifa and Laina quickly jumped over the railing after him, with Barret, Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel and the others jumping over the railing after the 4 of them.

The wind rushed strongly past their faces and their bodies after they jump/fell down from the airship swiftly toward Midgar. Some of them (Cid, Angelina, Tifa, Phemie, Nina and Carter) cried out in delight/exhilaration from the thrill of it, some others slightly loses their balance from the force of the wind or began to feel sick from it (Yuffie, Selwyn, Red XIII and Cait Sith) while the rest just keep their arms close to their sides to increase their speed as they keep on falling down toward Midgar city.

Once all of them fell past the huge cannon and the Shinra building, Cloud quickly pulled the release cord of his parachute pack to open and release the parachute while he quickly told/order the others to release theirs. They heard and complied to his order and soon all of them had already open/release their own parachutes out of their packs and they began to float slightly slowly down toward the city. But as they were getting nearer to the city, a sudden strong gust of wind blew right at them and caused all of them to be blown apart from each other toward different sectors of Midgar.

Both Cloud and Angelina were shocked/alarmed when they saw Tifa, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions got blown away from the both of them toward the other sectors of Midgar before they braced themselves for the landing and Cloud landed on his legs slightly hard on the ground first before Angelina landed and fell on him and they both fell to the ground.

"Ugh…" Cloud groaned a little under the weight of Angelina on his back.

"Cloud? Oh Gaia! I'm so sorry! I'll get off of you now!" said Angelina quickly and apologetically to Cloud before she got off him, stood up and quickly unbuckled the parachute pack off her back before she hold out her right hand to helped Cloud up(while her face is partially bright red-coloured in embarrassment due to her falling on Cloud's back).

"Nah, it's fine, Angie." said Cloud in a reassuring tone of voice to Angelina as he placed his hand on hers, stood up from the ground then unbuckled the parachute pack off his back. "Come on, Angie, we should find the others first before we head to the mainframe of the mako cannon where Hojo is to stop him." Cloud told Angelina.

"Right, let's go, Cloud." said Angelina with a nod of her head to Cloud before she began to walk forward down the street with Cloud to search for their friends/companions.

Both Cloud and Angelina then stopped in their tracks when they heard the sound of 3 sets of footsteps approaching them from inside an alleyway between 2 buildings in front of them and as they were about to reached and pull their sword and naginata out, the 3 people stepped out of the alleyway and both Cloud and Angelina sighed in relieved when they saw that the 3 people turns out to be Cait Sith, Nina and Carter.

"Come on, we should keep moving, Heidegger is ordering the Turks and the infantrymen to hunt and killed you all." Cait Sith warned both Cloud and Angelina after he, Nina and Carter found them both. "That's why it's dangerous out here. Let's go underground!" Cait Sith told both Cloud and Angelina before he, Nina and Carter turned around and began to walked back into the alleyway and both Cloud and Angelina followed swiftly behind them into the alleyway as well.

Both Cloud and Angelina sighed in relieved for the second time when they saw Tifa, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions (who were also relieved to see them both safe and rejoin with them except for Barret) gathered together safely at the end of alleyway around and near a large square-shaped metallic hatch which leads down to the sewer and which Cait Sith approach and stopped near the sewer hatch before he glance at all of them.

"This is where all of us will go in." Cait Sith told Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions before he opened up the sewer hatch door. "Please! Hurry and come to the Mako Cannon!" added Cait Sith anxiously to all of them and they nodded back to him before he, Nina and Carter turned and began climbing the ladder attached against the wall inside the sewer hatch down into the sewer hole. Both Cloud and Angelina watched the 3 of them climbed down into the sewer hole first before they turned and climbed down the ladder after them, with the others climbing/following them down.

After Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions climbed down until they reached the vast maze of interrelating tunnels of the sewer ground directly beneath the upper city of Midgar and got off the ladder, both Cait Sith and Nina then helped led the way/guided Cloud, Angelina and the others through the series of sewer tunnels, huge pipes, ladders and walkways, showing them every shortcuts and hidden tunnels (and also fighting/defeating some Behemoths, Crazy Saws, and getting Elixirs, Aegis Armlet, Max Ray and Starlight Phone from the treasure chests in different corners of the sewer ground) for the next 20 minutes until they reached, climbed in and crawled through an air vent tunnel toward the other end of the air vent tunnel, crawled out of the tunnel then they climbed down another ladder before they found themselves standing inside the underground rail tracks tunnel for trains. Just as both Cait Sith and Nina were about to lead/guide Cloud, Angelina and the others down the rail tracks, all of them suddenly heard the voice of a female from in front of them.

"Oh no! They're here!" said a familiar female voice (which make both Phemie and Crisis slightly widened their eyes in surprise when they heard and recognized the female voice) from down the rail tracks in front of them and Cloud, Angelina and the others soon saw the female Turk, Elena running down the rail tracks and stopped in her tracks in front of them while panting and catching her breath.

"What are we going to do!?" Elena asked loudly to her fellow Turks walking far behind her until they reached and stopped in their tracks near and behind her. "I think it's okay for some of you to ignore your orders now."

"… Elena, don't act so weak." said Reno in a disapproving tone of voice to her left (while narrowing his eyes in anger at his twin brother, Crisis).

"We're the Turks, Elena." said Rude as he adjusted the sunglasses on his face.

"Don't ever forget that, Elena." said Fiona.

"…Yes, sir, ma'am. You're both right." said Elena as she lowered her head and sagged her shoulder sadly.

"Come on, we've got work to do." said Rude to his fellow Turks members before he raised his clenched fists, ready for battle.

"Reno, I hope you won't go easy on Crisis just because he's your twin brother." Brian told Reno. "Remember that both he and Phemie had already left us, the Turks days ago and joined up with the enemy."

"Of course I won't, Brian." replied Reno as he pull his electric rod out and activated it. "Usually I'm not up for this kind of thing… but I guess I'll make an exception right now."

"Do you guys really want to fight all of us?" said Phemie sadly to her former Turks friends. "Can't you guys just let us pass by? Because we're in a hurry right now to stop…"

"No, we won't, Phemie." Elena cut off Phemie's words before she shake her head at her. "Our orders were to seek all of you out… and KILL. Our company may have been ruined and in turmoil because of the recent attack of one of the Weapon monsters, but an order's an order. Because that's the will and spirit of the Turks! You rebels better believe it!"

"Fine, if you Turks people really wanted to take all of us down, so be it." said Angelina as she, Cloud and the rest of their friends/companions pull their weapons out in preparation for a battle, same goes for the Turks standing in front of them. But before Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions could begin their fight against the Turks, Laina suddenly hold out her left hand and uses her "Telekinesis" limit break to push the Turks aside and pinned them against the wall of the rail tracks.

"Sorry to do this to you all, but we're on a really tight deadline to stop a certain crazy bastard scientist and we just can't afford to waste our time fighting with you guys here on the rail tracks." said Laina coldly/firmly to Reno, Rude, Elena and the rest of their Turks friends before she glance at Cloud, Angelina, Phemie and the others. "Come on, everyone. Let's go."

Cloud, Angelina, Phemie and the others nodded to her before both Cait Sith and Nina took the lead and began leading/guiding them past Laina and the Turks members pinned against the wall (while they struggle to try to break themselves free from Laina's telekinetic hold on them to no avail) down the rail tracks before Laina walked past the Turks, released them from her "Telekinesis" limit break before she quickly followed after her friends/companions down another series of rail tracks, leaving the Turks behind (who sighed before they turned the other way and leave the rail tracks).

A few minutes later, both Cait Sith and Nina stopped in their tracks near a ladder attached against the wall with another air vent tunnel above it and they quickly told Cloud, Angelina and the others that the air vent tunnel will lead them upward to the train station near Fountain Square/Loveless Avenue in Sector 8 which is near the mako cannon/mainframe where Hojo is and Cloud, Angelina and the others nodded to them both before they climbed up the ladder then crawled their way up the air vent tunnel until Cloud reached the closed hatch hole above him, pushed it open then he, Angelina and the others got out of the hatch hole one by one and they found themselves standing inside the train station, exactly like what both Cait Sith and Nina just told them.

Cloud, Angelina and the others then turned to their left to leave the train station, walked down a staircase toward the fountain square (which they could see is completely devoid of the worried/panicking citizens of Midgar except for the cars and personal possessions which the worried/panicking citizens had leave behind in their panic/haste to leave Sector 8).

Just as Cloud, Angelina and the others were about to leave the fountain square of Sector 8 and head toward where Hojo is, they suddenly felt and heard the ground under their feet began to shake regularly with what seem like the sounds of heavy footsteps of something big coming closer toward them and as they turned and lifted their heads to see what is it, they saw that it's an extremely tall and huge crimson, ebony-coloured robot (named Proud Clod) with 4 long, huge and menacing-looking crimson, black-coloured arms with sharp-looking titanium claws on each arms and 2 gigantic, flat feet with the same titanium claws on it as it stomped its way heavily down the pavement toward Cloud, Angelina and the others standing in the square and came to a stop a few feet in front of them.

"What the… hell is that!?" growled Barret when he saw the huge crimson, black-coloured robot standing in front of them.

"Hey-hey! You serious…?" said Cid as he shake his head in shock.

"This can't be…" said Tifa.

" _What were they thinking!? Using such a huge robot in a densely populated area like this!?"_ thought Nina with a shocked look on her face.

A hatch on the tall and huge Proud Clod robot's chest then opened up to reveal both Heidegger and Scarlet standing inside the Proud Clod's body, both of them staring down at Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions with smug/cold looks on their faces.

"Here they come! So they really did show up!" said Heidegger smugly to Scarlet before they began laughing together. "You rebels sure treat us like dogs up to now!" Heidegger told them.

"Not only do you rebels treat us like dogs, you also killed off a lot of my precious soldiers and robots!" added Scarlet.

"But not this time, you rebels! Let's see how all of you will do against this newest anti-Weapon artillery of ours!" said Heidegger before he laughed for the second time.

"You rebels are nothing but a bunch of worthless insects!" said Scarlet coldly to them. "I'm sure that this proud creation of mine will show you rebels a thing or two!"

"Enough of this, Heidegger, Scarlet!" said Nina as she glared at both Heidegger and Scarlet (who were surprised to see Nina standing with Cloud, Angelina and the others). "Call off this robot of yours and step aside, we've got a more pressing matter to deal with right now rather than staying and dealing with you 2 and your huge robot!"

"Miss Devereaux, so this is where you've been for the past few days, becoming a part of this rebel group." said Heidegger as he scowled at Nina.

"We were wondering where you've gone off to, Nina. To think that you would joined up with these worthless insects against us. What would your uncle think and say if he saw you standing with them right now?" said Scarlet as she shake her head in disappointment at Nina.

"He would think and say that he's proud of me for joining/staying with them through their journey, just like he ordered me, Carter and Cait Sith to days ago." said Nina (while both Cait Sith and Carter nodded their heads to her).

"So your uncle is the one who ordered/told you 3 to joined/stayed with them? Then that means you 3 and that Reeve are traitors to us and to Shinra company!" Heidegger snapped angrily at Nina.

"So what if we are, Heidegger, Scarlet?" said Nina coldly to Heidegger. "Now call off this robot of yours and step aside."

"Never, Nina Devereaux!" Heidegger snapped at Nina for the second time while Scarlet gave Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions another cold/evil smile before she snapped her fingers and the chest hatch of the Proud Clod robot closed up, sealing them both safely inside the body of Proud Clod before Proud Clod clenched both of its clawed hands into fists, raised its arms above its head then swung its arms down on Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions, who quickly dodged/jumped backward away from Proud Clod's fists as it's fists hit the ground where they were standing on a few seconds ago and causing dozens of cracks to formed on the ground.

"We'll show you worthless insects the destructive power of the Proud Clod!" Scarlet told Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions smugly from inside Proud Clod.

"Goddammit! Looks like we have no choice but to fight this huge robot first, then we'll head over to the mainframe and the mako cannon to stop Hojo, everyone." Cloud told Angelina and their friends/companions.

"No, Cloud! You should take some of us with you to the mainframe and stop Hojo right now!" said Nina firmly to Cloud. "After you're done in choosing which of us you bring with you, the rest of us will stay here to fight and defeat Proud Clod."

"Are you sure about this, Nina?" asked Angelina worriedly to Nina.

"Don't you worry about us, lassie, we got this!" said Cait Sith reassuringly to Angelina. "Now hurry up and choose who you'll bring with you, Cloud!"

"Alright then, Cait Sith." said Cloud as he gave a small nod to Cait Sith before he glance at the others. "Angie, Laina, Tifa, Kunsel, Vincent and Selwyn, let's go."

"Of course, Cloud!" said Angelina as both she and Tifa nodded to Cloud.

"Be careful, sister." said Phemie worriedly to Laina.

"I know, Phemie, you be careful as well. Watch over her, Crisis." said Laina as she glance at both Phemie and Crisis (who nodded to her) before she turned to glance at the mainframe. " _We're coming for you right now, Hojo. You better start saying your prayers now before we beat you up then killed you off."_ thought Laina very angrily in her mind.

After Cloud's done in choosing who he'll bring with him, he, Angelina, Laina, Tifa, Kunsel, Vincent and Selwyn then turned and run away from Cait Sith, Nina, their friends/companions and the Proud Clod robot toward the mainframe and the mako cannon where Hojo is. After they're gone, Cait Sith, Nina, Carter, Phemie, Crisis, Barret, Red XIII, Yuffie and Cid then turned their attention at Proud Clod and quickly pull their weapons out in preparation for their battle against it.

Proud Clod began its attack on Cait Sith, Nina, Carter, Phemie, Crisis, Barret, Red XIII, Yuffie and Cid first by raising and swinging both of its clawed hands down at them, intending to slashed/swatted them away with its clawed hands. They quickly dodged backward away from its clawed hands before both Phemie and Crisis pull their twin daggers and electric rod out to attck its arms and legs while Barret raised his gun-arm to fired a series of bullets at its chest (which bounce/fell off its chest without leaving some mark on it), Carter, Cid, Red XIII and Yuffie charge toward Proud Clod with their weapons and they began to attacked its legs, arms and the vital joints inside its arms and legs hard and fiercely with both Phemie and Crisis while both Cait Sith and Nina began casting strong magic attacks like Ultima, Electrocute, Hell Firaga and Hell Blizzaga one by one on Proud Clod (which caused Proud Clod to retaliate fiercely back at them by firing out the machine, flamethrower and laser guns hidden inside its arms and legs).

Cait Sith, Nina, Carter, Phemie, Crisis, Barret, Red XIII, Yuffie, Cid and Proud Clod fought hard against each other for the next 25 minutes until Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and the others heard and saw dozens of bluish white-coloured electric sparks began to sizzle/emanated out of Proud Clod's entire body before it started to shudder violently.

"This is impossible! How could Proud Clod be defeated by worthless insects like you all…!" Scarlet cried out in disbelief/frustration from inside Proud Clod.

Proud Clod continue to shudder violently for another few more seconds (while more bluish white-coloured electric sparks emanated out of its body) before it's entire body began to glowed bright red then white in colour while thick smoke started to formed then poured out of within its body.

"Whoooooa!" Heidegger yelled loudly in fear from inside Proud Clod before he quickly pressed a button on the control panel to his left to opened Proud Clod's chest hatch and both he and Scarlet quickly get out and jumped down from Proud Clod then turned and run away from the rapidly malfunctioning Proud Clod, Cait Sith, Nina and their friends/companions.

As for Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and the others, they quickly braced themselves with their arms and weapons before Proud Clod fell silent… then exploded apart with a loud blasting sound, sending a huge wave of hot/thick smoke, dust and dozens of fiery metallic pieces of Proud Clod's body toward the fountain square and also sending Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and the others to flew backward and landed hard on their backs from the strong force of the explosion (while they coughed/choked on the hot/thick smoke around them).

After another few seconds, the hot/thick smoke, dust, the fiery metallic pieces of Proud Clod and the loud sound of the explosion from the now destroyed and burning robot fade away and Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and the others slowly stood up from the ground.

"Well, we did it, everyone. We managed to defeat and destroy the latest robot of Heidegger and Scarlet." said Cait Sith in a relief tone of voice to Nina, Carter, Phemie, Crisis, Barret, Red XIII, Yuffie and Cid.

"About damn time!" said Barret happily to himself.

"I'm really glad that we won against them and their robot." said Red XIII. "Now let's go and help Cloud, Angelina and the others with their Hojo problem."

Cait Sith, Nina and Carter nodded in agreement to Red XIII before Nina told Red XIII to take Phemie, Crisis, Barret, Yuffie and Cid to the mainframe first to help Cloud, Angelina and the others out while also telling them that she, Cait Sith and Carter will head toward Shinra company to rescue Reeve from the infantrymen custody. Red XIII, Phemie, Crisis, Barret, Yuffie and Cid nodded to Cait Sith, Nina and Carter before they split up and one group quickly head toward the mainframe while the other group head toward Shinra company.


	80. Chapter 80

**Chapter 80: Battle against the three different forms of Jenova-Hojo**

After Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Kunsel, Vincent and Selwyn broke away from Cait Sith, Nina, Carter and the rest of their friends/companions (who proceed to fight against Proud Clod robot fiercely), they quickly run their way up several flights of staircases (and getting Elixir, Mystile and Missing Score items from treasure boxes on the staircases) until they reached the top of the staircases near the Sister Ray mako cannon, stopped in their tracks to catch their breaths a little before they turned to their right to walked swiftly forward down the metallic walkway toward the mainframe platform and stopped right behind Hojo, who's still completely absorbed in working diligently on the mainframe.

"Hojo! Stop right there!" Cloud yelled at Hojo's back as he, Angelina and the others pull their weapons out in front of them.

"Your twisted and heartless plan for Sephiroth ends now, you scientist bastard." Laina snarled at Hojo. "Get your hands off the mainframe controls and step away from the mainframe."

Hojo ceased what he's doing to the mainframe when he heard both Cloud and Laina talking/yelling harshly to him from behind, turned his head to look over his right shoulder at them and he frowned at all 7 of them, especially on Cloud, Angelina and Laina (and also not perturbed/afraid when he saw the weapons they hold in each of their hands).

"Oh… if it isn't my 3 failed test subjects." said Hojo to Cloud, Angelina and Laina.

"At least remember our names! It's Cloud, Angelina and Laina!" said Cloud as he, Angelina and Laina glared angrily at him.

Hojo sighed and raised his left hand to waved dismissively at Cloud's angry words to him before he resumed in working on the mainframe. "Every time I see you or the other 2 failed test subjects with you, I… It pains me that I had so little scientific sense…" Hojo began saying to them.

"That's because you never had any scientific sense to begin with, you scientist bastard." Laina snarled at Hojo for the second time.

"I evaluated you 3 as failed test subjects/projects. But you 3 are probably the only 3 persons that didn't let the Jenova cells within you 3 to overtaken you 3 completely and succeeded as Sephiroth copies." Hojo continue talking to them while ignoring Laina's angry words to him. "Heh, heh, heh… I'm even beginning to hate myself."

"None of that matters anymore… Just stop this nonsense!" Cloud snapped at Hojo.

"Cloud's right, you bastard!" said Angelina angrily at Hojo. "Just stop what you're doing already!"

"… nonsense? … stop what I'm doing?" Hojo repeated some of the words Cloud and Angelina just said to him in a confused tone of voice before he began chuckling. "Oh, you 2 mean this?" said Hojo after he's done chuckling before he ceased his work on the mainframe and slowly turned around to glance at them and Cloud, Angelina and the others saw that Hojo's face is completely pale in colour with beads of sweat on it while his eyes is quite glazed.

"What the hell happen to you?" said Kunsel sarcastically at Hojo, who completely ignored and didn't answer Kunsel's sarcastic question.

"Sephiroth seems to be counting on the mako energy in Midgar." Hojo told Cloud, Angelina and the others while he raised and waved his left hand to gestured to the mako reactors in each sectors around Midgar city. "So I'm going to lend him a helping hand."

"Why!? Why would you do that!?" Cloud demanded angrily at Hojo.

"Quit asking me why, you moron." Hojo snapped fiercely at Cloud (which caused both Angelina and Laina to deepen their glares at him) before he approach Cloud to take a closer look at him. "Hmmm… actually, you might cut out to be a scientist." Hojo added thoughtfully to Cloud.

"Like hell he'll become a scientist like you, you bastard!" Angelina snapped angrily at Hojo.

" _Well spoken, Angelina."_ thought Laina proudly to Angelina.

Hojo smirked at Angelina before he turned around to walked back toward the mainframe and glance down at 1 of the readouts on the mainframe. "Energy level is at… 83%. It's taking too long." said Hojo to himself before he resumed his work on the mainframe. "My son is in need of power and help right now… That's the only reason I'm helping him."

"… Your son?" Cloud asked Hojo while he felt the blood in his veins began to freeze over after he heard what Hojo just said.

"No way, are you telling us that your son is…" Angelina began saying then trailed off into shocked silence.

Hojo chuckled then smiled a cold/cruel smile. "Yes, exactly what you're thinking right now, girl! Although he doesn't know about it." Hojo told Angelina before he began laughing loudly and coldly to himself. "What will Sephiroth think when he finds out that I'm his father? Always looking down on me with those mako eyes of his!" Hojo ceased his talking to let out a loud, cackling laughter before he resumed his work on the mainframe.

"Holy Goddess of Gaia!" said Selwyn with a shocked look on his face.

"T-That can't be!" said Kunsel in an unable to believe tone of voice.

"You're lying! There's no way in hell that Sephiroth is your son and you're his _father!_ " Laina snarled at Hojo for the third time. "But even if what you just told us might be true, he's nothing like you!"

"… Sephiroth is your son!?" said Cloud in a shocked tone of voice to Hojo before he, Angelina and the others suddenly felt Vincent pushed his way past them to glance at Hojo with a shocked look on his face.

Hojo let out another cackling laughter at their words. "That's right, he is! I offered up the woman who is pregnant with my child to Professor Gast's Jenova Project." Hojo told them (which caused them to gasped in shocked, horror then anger) before he trailed off in silence to raised his head and look up at the dark sky. "When Sephiroth is still inside her womb, we extract the Jenova cells out of Jenova…" Hojo trailed off for the second time to let out yet another cold laughter.

"You… You…!" said Vincent in an extremely angry tone of voice to Hojo while dozens of emotions/feelings like anger, pain, anguish, guilt and shame swelled strongly inside his mind, heart and soul when he heard about what Hojo had done to Lucrecia (Sephiroth's biological mother), Sephiroth, himself and many years later to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others.

"You inhuman demonic fiend!" Laina snarled angrily at Hojo for the third time. "How could you do such an inhumane thing to Sephiroth and to his real mother!?"

"I can't believe that you've fallen this far into the dark abyss and is the one who did all of this…" said Angelina as she clenched her hands tightly around the handle of her naginata weapon.

"… The illusionary crimes against Sephiroth's true mother, Sephiroth himself, Vincent, Kunsel, Red XIII, Aeris, Laina, Zack, Angie and me…" said Cloud angrily at Hojo.

Hojo stops what he's doing on the mainframe and turned around to glance at Cloud, Angelina and the others again. "No, you're all wrong! It's my desire as a scientist!" Hojo told them gleefully before he began cackling coldly and uncontrollably.

"I was… wrong…" said Vincent softly to himself as he slowly closed his eyes and slowly raised his gun up at Hojo (who's still laughing). "The one who should have slept in the coffin under the Shinra mansion all those years ago shouldn't be me… It should have been you, Hojo!"

Hojo ceased laughing and glance at Cloud, Angelina and the others with bitterness/loathing in his face before he smiled his cold, cruel and insane smile at them. "I… was defeated by my desire to become a scientist. I lost the last time as well." Hojo admitted to them before he laughed his cold and uncontrollable laughter once again. "I've injected Jenova cells into my own body! And here are… my results!" Hojo announced gleefully at them and Cloud, Angelina and the others watched with shocked/horror looks on their faces as something started to bubble and thicken from within both of Hojo's arms before some kind of foul-looking greenish-yellow coloured ooze appear and started to poured out of his arms and landed as two large puddles of foul-looking greenish-yellow coloured ooze on the floor on both sides of Hojo before the two large puddles slowly rise up from the ground and formed themselves into a Poodler Sample and Bad Rap monsters.

After the two Poodler Sample and Bad Rap monsters are done with their forming, Hojo then raised and pointed his fingers to silently order the Poodler Sample and Bad Rap to charge and attack Cloud, Angelina and the others and the 2 monsters obeyed his silent orders and began charging toward them. Cloud, Angelina and Laina immediately charge toward the Poodler Sample monster (while Tifa, Kunsel, Vincent and Selwyn charge toward the Bad Rap monster) with their swords and naginata and they swung and slashed their swords and naginata several times down on the Poodler Sample monster to injured it severely (while it retaliate against the 3 of them by jumping and slamming its hard outer shell body at their bodies hard at the same time and caused them to gritted their teeth in pain) until they killed it off. As for Tifa, Kunsel, Vincent and Selwyn, all 4 of them also fought hard against the Bad Rap monster with their sword, spear, gun and fists while it retaliate back at them by swinging and slapping/hitting them hard with its poisonous tentacles.

Both Tifa and Selwyn cried out in pain when the Bad Rap slapped two of its poisonous tentacles hard at their bodies before they fell to the floor and began to writhed violently from the poison spreading rapidly in their bodies. Cloud, Angelina and Laina saw both Tifa and Selwyn fall then writhed violently on the floor and Angelina quickly rushed toward them to pull out her Esuna materia and casted it on them to dispel the poison while both Cloud and Laina rushed to helped both Kunsel and Vincent in fighting against the Bad Rap monster and they soon killed it off.

After Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others killed off the 2 Poodler Sample and Bad Rap monsters (who dissolve back to their greenish-yellow coloured ooze state) that came out of Hojo's arms (while Hojo himself watched their fights with silent interest/glee on his face and in his eyes) and Angelina helped both Tifa and Selwyn to stand up after she dispel the poison out of their bodies with her Esuna materia, they then turned to glance at Hojo with hatred/defiance looks on their faces and in their eyes.

"Haw, haw… splendid fighting skills, all of you." Hojo chuckled and complimented them before he smirked coldly at them. "Now let's see how the Mako juice is reacting?" said Hojo to himself before he let out another cackling laughter while raising and spreading both of his arms wide open and Cloud, Angelina and the others watched as Hojo's entire body began to twist, expand and warped then ripped apart from the inside (which caused a thick amount of foul-looking blood mixing with ooze to poured out of his body after his body got ripped apart from the inside). After that, Hojo then rapidly transform himself into an extremely large and monstrous-looking monster who's jaw was stretched wide open with dozens of needle sharp teeths in it, hollow/dead-looking eyes on his grayish-coloured grotesque face, folds of different-coloured fleshs/muscles on his body (while torn shreds of his lab coat outfit fell from his body and landed on the floor) and he leaned heavily to his left due to his left, heavy-looking arm lie on the floor while his swollen right arm is raised up near his grotesque-looking head with 3 huge, menacing claws on it.

After Hojo's completed his monstrous transformation (named Helletic Hojo), he lowered his grotesque-looking face to glance down at Cloud, Angelina and the others with his hollow/dead-looking eyes, let out a loud inhuman screeching sound at them before he swiftly drew back his swollen right clawed arm and swung it forward toward both Tifa and Selwyn, intending to inpaled them both through their stomachs with his claws (which they quickly dodged left and right away from Helletic Hojo's clawed arm) while casting a strong confusion magic attack on both Angelina and Kunsel, causing the both of their minds to unable to distinguish between friend and foe standing/fighting around them and both Angelina and Kunsel raised their weapons and charge toward the 2 persons standing near them, which unfortunately happens to be Cloud and Laina. Both Cloud and Laina saw both Angelina and Kunsel coming straight toward them out of the corner of their eyes (while Tifa, Selwyn and Vincent (who transform into 1 of his beastly form named Hellmasker) charge toward Hojo to begin attacking him fiercely) and they quickly turned and raised their swords to blocked against their weapons swinging down on them before they swung their swords to knocked Angelina's naginata and Kunsel's sword away from their hands then both Cloud and Laina grabbed hold of their necks and pinned them down on the floor.

"Angie, snap out of it! It's me, Cloud!" said Cloud.

"Same goes for you, Kunsel! Snap out of it!" said Laina.

Both Angelina and Kunsel struggle to break themselves free from Cloud and Laina's firm hold on their necks for the next few seconds before they ceased their struggling, blinked and shook their heads slowly until their minds finally cleared up from Hojo's confusion magic casted on them and they glance up at Cloud and Laina.

"Cloud….. Laina…?" said Angelina in a confused tone of voice to them both. "What just happened?"

"The 2 of you got hit by Hojo's confusion magic and started to attack me and Cloud." Laina told Angelina.

"We did? Oh Gaia, we're so sorry, Laina, Cloud…" Kunsel began apologizing to both Laina and Cloud before his apology got cut off by Tifa's loud and worry tone of voice.

"Watch out, you guys!" Tifa suddenly yelled worriedly at Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel and when they lifted and turned their heads to glance behind them, they saw that Helletic Hojo is thrusting his right clawed arm swiftly toward the 4 of them. Laina quickly raised her right hand to created an invisible shield in front of her, Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel to protect them against Helletic Hojo's right clawed arm thrusting toward them (which crashed hard against her invisible shield and caused Hojo to screech angrily at Laina) before she stood up and let loose her "Exodus Blades" and "Apocalypse" limit breaks fiercely at Helletic Hojo, causing multiple bleeding slash wounds and a large orange-coloured magic sigil to appear above Helletic Hojo and unleash dozens of purplish-coloured lightning strikes down on him and Helletic Hojo screech loudly in pain/agony from Laina's duo limit breaks attacks on him before the slash/sizzling wounds on his body rapidly regenerate and closed themselves up.

"Oh, just perfect." said Laina in an annoyed tone of voice to herself when she saw Helletic Hojo's wounds began healing up. "This bastard got his own healing power to healed himself up."

"Then we should take him down quickly before we let him have the chance and time to healed himself up, Laina." Kunsel told Laina, who nodded her head in agreement to him before she handed his sword back to him (same goes for Cloud as he handed Angelina's naginata back to her).

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and Kunsel then charge toward Helletic Hojo and they raised their weapons to resumed their fierce attacks on him, same goes for Tifa, Selwyn and Vincent (who's still in his Hellmasker form) for the next few minutes until all 7 of them managed to defeat/killed off Helletic Hojo's large and monstrous form and Helletic Hojo let out a loud screech of pain/agony before he fell and landed hard on his back on the floor, dead now.

After all 7 of them defeat/killed off Helletic Hojo's large and monstrous form, Cloud, Angelina, Laina, Kunsel and Selwyn slowly put their swords, naginata and spear back behind them while Tifa lowered her gloved fists and Vincent transform back into his human form. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Kunsel, Vincent and Selwyn then heard the sound of several footsteps coming up the stairs toward them and they turned around to see who is it and saw that it's the rest of their friends/companions (except for Cait Sith, Nina and Carter).

"I don't believe it. You guys already defeat/killed off that crazy scientist? And here we thought that you guys need our help in defeating/killing him off." said Cid to Cloud, Angelina and the others.

"That's right, Cid, we did. And without the extra help from you guys." said Angelina with a small nod of her head to Cid and the others before she asked them a question. "And I take it that you guys have already defeat/destroy the Proud Clod robot?"

"Yeah, of course we did, Angelina." said Red XIII as he nodded to her.

"It's over." Cloud told them all.

" _Are… you… sure… about… that?"_ rasped a weak and guttural voice from the large, monstrous corpse of Helletic Hojo on the floor behind them and they gasped and widened their eyes in shock and horror before they turned back to glance at the corpse.

"That's impossible! He can't be alive!" said Barret in a shocked tone of voice to them.

"Looks like the Jenova cells that he injected into his body is more stronger and stubborn than we thought and isn't willing to succumb both itself and Hojo to death so easily." said Laina to Barret as the shock look on her face swiftly change into a dark, angry look.

"Goddammit! Everyone, pull out your weapons and prepare yourselves for another battle!" Cloud told/order Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions and they immediately listen to his order and pull their weapons out and waited.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions watched as a large fleshy bump started to appear and expand inside the chest of the large, monstrous corpse before the chest burst itself open from the inside, spraying and splattering a thick amount of foul-looking, blackish-green coloured blood around the mainframe and on the floor in front of Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions (who quickly step backward away from the sudden spray of Hojo's foul blood).

After the chest of the large, monstrous corpse burst open from the inside, Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions watched on as several long, thin sickly-yellow coloured tentacles appear out of the chest wound of the large corpse before its head (which is completely smooth and featureless with empty, white-coloured eye sockets on its face) and its entire body (which is dark, lifeless grey in coloured with several thin sickly yellow-coloured bands wrapped around its floating body and head and a long and thick tentacle tail behind its back) pull itself out of the large corpse, landed with a slightly wet, smacking sound on the floor before it slowly rose itself up from the floor and floated in thin air in front of them.

The third and monstrous-looking form of Hojo (named Hojo Lifeform) glance at each of them with its empty eye sockets for a few seconds before it suddenly launched itself swiftly toward them (faster than they expected), slammed its body hard against both Cloud and Angelina and send itself, Cloud and Angelina flying past and far away from Tifa, Laina and the others (while Cloud's sword and Angelina's naginata fell from their hands and clatter across the floor, away from them) before the Lifeform raised and stabbed one of its tentacles through Angelina's chest, causing her to cried out in pain before the Lifeform threw her away then it wrapped its tentacles tightly around Cloud to sucked his life-force out of him (while he struggle to break himself free from its grip).

"Cloud! Angelina!" Laina, Tifa, Kunsel and Barret yelled out in shock/fear when they (and the others standing with them) saw Hojo Lifeform began attacking both Cloud and Angelina before Tifa, Kunsel, Barret and the others turned around and charge toward the Hojo Lifeform who wrapped its tentacles tightly around Cloud (while Laina run toward Angelina and began healing her chest wound with her "Pulse of Life" limit break) and both Barret and Vincent raised their gun-arm and gun to fired several bullets on the back of the Hojo Lifeform (while being careful to not shoot Cloud).

The Hojo Lifeform screech in pain from both Barret and Vincent firing their gun-arm and gun at its back and its tentacles around Cloud started to weaken, allowed Cloud to pushed and kicked the Hojo Lifeform away from him (while he panted in pain a little from losing some of his life-force to Hojo Lifeform before Tifa quickly casted Curaga magic on him to healed him up) before he rushed toward his fallen Buster Sword, picked it up then turned around and charge toward the Hojo Lifeform and he began attacking the Hojo Lifeform fiercely with Tifa, Barret and the others (while Laina continue to healed Angelina's chest wound).

The Hojo Lifeform let out another screech of pain/agony at Cloud, Tifa, Barret and the rest of their friends/companions fierce and almost relentless attack on it (while it glared angrily at each of them) before Hojo Lifeform suddenly use the last of its strength to sent all of them flying backward away from it and they landed hard on their backs on the floor before Hojo Lifeform turned its glance on Laina and rushed itself in her direction.

"Laina! Watch out! It's coming toward you!" Angelina yelled in a warning tone of voice to Laina, who heard what Angelina just yell to her and as she was about to turned around to attack and killed the Hojo Lifeform off with her Geneva saber, the Hojo Lifeform swiftly thrust one of its bleeding tentacle straight into Laina's back before she could attack and killed it off it first, causing her to cried out in pain from its attack before she let out another scream and she fell face-down on the floor next to Angelina and began to writhed violently from whatever it is that Hojo Lifeform had put into her body.

"Sister! No!" Phemie cried out in fear/horror for her older sister when she saw the Hojo Lifeform thrust one of its tentacles into Laina's back before she, Crisis, Cloud and the others quickly stood up from the floor and rushed toward Laina, Angelina (who glared angrily at Hojo Lifeform for attacking and causing Laina to writhed violently on the floor before she picked up Laina's Geneva saber, stood up and killed it off) and the Hojo Lifeform (who's lying dead on the floor now).

"Hey, Laina! Hang in there!" said Kunsel worriedly to Laina as he slowly lifted her writhing body up from the floor.

"What's wrong with my sister? What did that bastard monster do to her!?" said Phemie as she glance at Laina worriedly.

"We don't know, Phemie." said Crisis grimly. "Whatever it is, it can't be good."

"Come on, we should get whatever it is out of her body now!" said Angelina to Kunsel, who nodded without looking to her before he slowly turned Laina around to see her back wound.

But before Kunsel could get whatever it is that Hojo Lifeform had put into her, Laina suddenly ceased her violent writhing and Kunsel, Phemie, Cloud, Angelina and the others suddenly felt themselves got flung away from her and landed hard on their backs on the floor for the second time. Kunsel, Phemie, Cloud, Angelina and the others groaned in pain from the strong force of it before they glance at Laina and saw that she's now standing and staring at all of them with an evil look on her now bluish-grey coloured face and bluish-green coloured mako eyes.

"Oh Gaia, Cloud. Don't tell me that she…" said Angelina in a worry/fearful tone of voice to Cloud.

"Yeah, exactly what you think, Angie. Hojo Lifeform must have put more Jenova cells into her and she got overtaken by those Jenova cells." said Cloud grimly to Angelina while Phemie gasped and covered her mouth with her hands in horror when she heard what Cloud just said.

Laina glance silently and evilly at them for another few more seconds before she hold out her hand for her Geneva saber, which flew up from the floor and into her hand before she raised her saber and charge toward them.


	81. Chapter 81

**Chapter 81: Battle against Jenova-Laina**

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions quickly raised their weapons to prepared themselves for yet another battle, only this time it's against 1 of their close friend/companion, Laina Donovan (who had been completely overtaken/control by the extra dose of Jenova cells coursing inside her body due to Hojo injecting the Jenova cells into her body by force), who's now charging straight toward them with her Geneva saber raised and gripped tightly in her hands.

Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel charge toward her first and they clashed and swung their swords and naginata fiercely against Jenova-Laina (who clashed and blocked against their fierce attacks on her) before she dodged backward away from the 3 of them, pull an Ultima materia out of her pocket and casted it on them. Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel cried out in pain from the Ultima magic attack which Jenova-Laina just casted on them and as they dropped their weapons and fell to their knees on the floor, Jenova-Laina put the Ultima materia back into her pocket, swiftly approach Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel and she raised her saber to slashed across their chests hard, causing all 3 of them to cried out in pain for the second time before they fell face-down to the floor.

"Cloud! Angelina! Kunsel!" yelled Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Cid and the others in a shocked/horror tone of voice when they saw Jenova-Laina take down Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel mercilessly before they began charging toward her and their 3 fallen and fatally injured friends/companions.

Both Barret and Vincent immediately raised their gun-arm and gun up to opened fired at Jenova-Laina, but the bullets they just opened fired at her struck against an invisible shield in front of her and fell to the floor (which annoyed both Barret and Vincent before they resumed in firing their bullets at her). Both Cid and Selwyn swung and thrust their long spears at Jenova-Laina (while they avoided the bullets that Barret and Vincent were firing at Jenova-Laina), who raised and blocked their spears with her saber before she sent both Cid and Selwyn flying backward and crashed down on the floor with her telekinetic power (while both Tifa and Yuffie quickly approach and kneel down near Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel to pull out their Curaga materia and casted the Curaga magic on them to healed their wounds).

Red XIII jumped high above Jenova-Laina, threw himself down on Jenova-Laina to slammed and pinned her down on the floor before he opened his jaws to bite down on Jenova-Laina's right shoulder. Jenova-Laina hissed in anger and pain from Red XIII biting her shoulder before she raised her left hand to grabbed hold of Red XIII's head, yanked him away from her then threw him toward both Barret and Vincent and Red XIII crashed hard against them and they fell to the floor.

"Damn you, Laina! Come on, Phemie, let's go and fight her now." Crisis told Phemie.

"I… don't think I can fight against her, Crisis." said Phemie sadly to Crisis before she lowered her head to glance down at the floor. "She's my sister."

Crisis sighed and turned around to glance at Phemie. "I know you don't want to, Phemie, but you have to. Do you want her to be under Jenova's control for the rest of her life?" Crisis told her.

"No, I don't want her to be under Jenova's control, Crisis." said Phemie as she shake her head.

"Then, let's fight her to save her from Jenova's control, Phemie!" said Crisis firmly to Phemie, who lifted her head to glance up at him and nodded her head in agreement to him. Crisis gave her a small smile before he clasped her hand and they turned and charge toward Jenova-Laina to fight against her with the others.

XXXX

"Ugh, that really hurts a lot. Damn you, Hojo, you bastard." groaned Laina in pain and anger as she slowly stood up from the ground, opened her eyes and saw that she's now standing inside the large, old musty prison room filled with dozens of empty prison cells built underneath Banora village ruins instead of standing near the huge cannon/mainframe machine with Cloud, Angelina, Phemie and the others. "What the hell? Why am I here alone in this empty prison place under Banora? Where and what about Cloud, Angelina, Phemie and the others?" said Laina to herself.

" _Humph,_ _and here I thought that as soon as I finally took control of your body that you would lose your mind."_ said a deep and sinister female voice to Laina. " _It seems that I've underestimate on how strong and stubborn your mind, Laina Donovan."_

A frown look appear on Laina's face and she look at the large prison room around her for the source of the deep and sinister female voice but couldn't find it. "Who is it?" Laina demanded to the female voice.

" _Oh, come on. You should already know who I am, Laina Donovan."_ said the female voice in an almost disappointed tone of voice to Laina.

The frown look on Laina's face deepen a little when she realised whom the voice belongs too. "You're Jenova, aren't you? The Calamity that fell from the sky down to this Planet 2000 years ago."

" _Very good, Laina Donovan."_ said Jenova in a proud and menacing tone of voice to Laina before she appear and showed herself in front of her. " _However, it's too bad for you that there's nothing you can do to break your body free from my control and from me controlling your body right now to fight and hurt those weak and pathetic human friends of yours. And the worse part of it is that you won't even get to see the lifes drained away from their eyes and faces as they died mercilessly by your own hands, since I'm going to take over your mind right now._ "

"How fucking dare you, Jenova! Using my body to do such a sick and cruel thing to my sister and my friends!" Laina snarled angrily at Jenova before she pull a Hell Firaga materia out of her pocket and casted it on Jenova. A huge ball of fire appear in front of Laina, launch and struck against Jenova (which caused her to cried out in surprise and pain) before the huge ball of fire and Jenova crashed into one of the prison cells. "And there's no way in hell that I'm going to let you take over my mind!"

Jenova groaned from Laina's fierce Hell Firaga magic attack on her then she began chuckling evilly from inside the prison cell at Laina before she walked out of the prison cell. " _It's all thanks to Hojo injecting more of my cells directly into your body that I was finally able to get rid of the energy barrier that protects you from being overtaken by me and took control of your body."_ said Jenova as she smirked evilly at Laina. " _Now then, I'll be taking over your mind now."_

"You still want to take over my mind, Jenova? Like hell I will let you!" said Laina angrily at Jenova before both she and Jenova charge toward each other and began fighting.

XXXX

" #$%&*! Why the hell is she still so fucking strong and kicked all of our asses badly when so many of us are fighting against her? And right after the long and hard battle we had against Hojo!" Cid cursed out to Cloud, Angelina and the others after he charge toward Jenova-Laina with his spear raised and swung down on her before she dodged from his downward spear strike, grabbed hold of his shirt collar, threw him away from her and he landed hard on the floor.

"Oh, I don't know, Cid! Probably because she's an ex-SOLDIER 1st class, the last of the small group of SOLDIER 1st class!" said Kunsel sarcastically at Cid as he casted a Firaga magic attack at Jenova-Laina to save both Tifa and Yuffie from nearly getting themselves beheaded by her Geneva saber.

"Sister, just stop fighting us and break yourself free from Jenova's control already!" said Phemie in a loud and pleading tone of voice to Jenova-Laina, who completely ignored her words as she casted a series of Hell Blizzaga magic attacks above Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel and Red XIII, who quickly dodged away from the sharp icicles as they fell and pierced through the floor.

"Goddammit, she's a little too tough and more annoying than that bastard Hojo." Angelina grunted in an annoyed tone of voice before she glance at Cloud. "How are we going to take her down, Cloud?"

"Let's try to formed a circle around her then rushed forward to fight her at the same time, Angie. Go and tell the others now!" Cloud told/ordered Angelina, who nodded to him before she quickly went to tell Tifa, Barret and the others about Cloud's orders. A few seconds later, all of them had formed a circle around Jenova-Laina, who glance at all of them standing around her.

" _Forgive us, Laina."_ thought Cloud sadly in his mind before he turned his head to glance at Angelina, Tifa and the others and nodded to them. "Now, everyone!" Cloud told all of them and they immediately charge toward Jenova-Laina while raising their weapons up in preparation to swung and strike her down.

As Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Kunsel and the rest of their friends/companions began charging toward Jenova-Laina, she smirked evilly at all of them before she sent all of them flying backward away from her with a strong force of her telekinesis while a bulge started to appear and expand behind the back of her left shoulder then a single, massive white wing burst itself out of the bulge behind her. Jenova-Laina flexed and tested her newly formed white wing which burst out and appear from behind her left shoulder for a few seconds before she spread her white wing out then flew up into the air.

"Oh, fucking hell! She grew a white wing behind her now!?" said Selwyn in an extremely annoyed/frustrated tone of voice when he and the others saw the single, massive white wing burst out of Jenova-Laina left shoulder behind her before she flew up and floated in the air above them.

"Oh, just great. She just had to make our fight against her a little more harder than ever…" said Tifa as she lowered and shake her head.

"Enough with your words, you two!" Kunsel snapped at Selwyn and Tifa, who scowled silently at him. "She grew a white wing out of her back, so what? We still gotta try our best to take her down and break her free from Jenova's control." Kunsel told them.

"Kunsel's right, you two." said Crisis as he, Barret and Vincent reloaded some bullets into their guns and gun-arm before they raised their guns and gun-arm up to opened fired at Jenova-Laina. "So stop saying such words already!"

Both Selwyn and Tifa sighed then nodded to both Kunsel and Crisis before all of them resumed their fierce (and getting tireless) attacks on Jenova-Laina (who flew down toward them to fight/retaliate fiercely back at them).

XXXX

Jenova grabbed hold of Laina's neck and slammed her through the concrete wall into an empty prison cell before several bluish-grey coloured sharp tentacles burst out of Jenova's body, rushed forward and stabbed into Laina's arms, legs and stomach and pinned her against the wall inside the empty prison cell.

"Ugh! Ahh!" Laina cried out in pain from Jenova's tentacles stabbing into her arms, legs and stomach while Jenova smirked smugly/evilly at her.

" _I'll give you points for putting up a good and stubborn fight against me, Laina Donovan, before I defeated and pinned you against the wall inside this empty prison cell."_ said Jenova in a mocking tone of voice to Laina, who glared weakly at her. _"Now that I've render you helpless and powerless, I think it's time for me to take over your mind now."_

"No… you won't… Jenova. I won't… let you." Laina snarled weakly at Jenova, who deepen her smug/evil smirk on her face before she pushed her tentacles deeper through Laina's arms, legs and stomach, causing her to grimaced and groaned in pain even more.

"No! Get away from her, you monster!" yelled an angry female voice (which is unfamiliar to Jenova but familiar to Laina) suddenly at Jenova before Jenova felt a strong mako energy force suddenly struck her from behind, causing Jenova to cried out in pain before she felt someone grabbed hold of her, pull her away from Laina (who let out another groan of pain when the tentacles is pull out of her hands, legs and stomach before she fell face-down to the floor), threw her out of the prison cell before she crashed into the prison cell opposite the one which she got threw out of.

"What…? Who…?" groaned Laina before she weakly raised her head and slowly opened her eyes to look up at whoever just help her out and was surprise to see Yakumo Levy standing above her and staring down at her with a worry/fearful look on her face now. "Yakumo…? Is that… you?"

"Yeah, Laina, it's me." said Yakumo worriedly at Laina before she kneel down near her and gently lifted her up from the floor. "I suddenly felt that you got attacked and injured badly by something or someone so I quickly rushed over to help you out. And I'm really glad that I did, Laina." Yakumo told her before she hold out her right hand above Laina and began healing her wounds up with her mako energy.

"Thanks for coming…to my aid… once again...Yakumo." said Laina in a grateful tone of voice to Yakumo, who nodded and continue to healed her wounds in silence until she's done healing her wounds before she helped Laina to stand up from the floor.

" _Who the hell are you, woman? And how dare you interfere and stop me from trying to take over Laina Donovan's mind?_ " said Jenova in a furious tone of voice to Yakumo as she walked out of the prison cell and glared at her and Laina.

"My name is Yakumo Levy, a friend of Laina Donovan, you monster." Yakumo told and introduced herself to Jenova. "And I've come here to help her in defeating you."

Jenova began chuckling evilly at Yakumo after she told her what she's going to do. " _You came to help her in defeating me? How bold of you, Yakumo Levy! Try and defeat me then, if you two can!"_ Jenova added to both Laina and Yakumo before she let loose a powerful aura of fear/despair toward them to intimidate/weaken them both.

"Trying to frighten us into giving up, huh, Jenova? Nice try." said Laina before she pull her Hell Firaga out of her pocket, casted and launch it at Jenova, who cried out in pain/anger when the huge ball of fire struck her for the second time. "Shall we, Yakumo?" said Laina as she glance at Yakumo.

"Absolutely, Laina." replied Yakumo back to Laina before they charge toward Jenova together and began to fight her fiercely.

XXXX

While Yakumo had arrived and is now helping Laina out in fighting against Jenova inside her mind, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Phemie and the others dropped their weapons and materia, fell to their knees on the ground with their hands raised and clutching their heads and bodies in great pains as Jenova-Laina uses her telekinesis power on them to begin breaking their bodies apart from the inside out to killed them.

"Sister… stop… please." groaned Phemie weakly/painfully to Jenova-Laina. "It… hurts… You're… killing… us."

"Laina… please… Snap out… of it… already." Kunsel groaned weakly/painfully at Jenova-Laina as well.

"Silence, you two." said Jenova-Laina in an evil tone of voice to both Phemie and Kunsel before she snap her fingers at them both and they began choking and holding their throats in agony.

"No… Phemie!" Crisis groaned out in an anguish tone of voice when he saw Phemie began choking and holding her throat in agony before he glared at Jenova-Laina. "Damn you… Laina!" Crisis groaned angrily at her.

Jenova-Laina turned to glance at Crisis and smirked evilly at him before the evil smirk on her face slowly vanished only to be replaced by a glower look and her body started to shake involuntarily (while the telekinesis power that she just use on Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Phemie and the others abruptly cut off and they began gasping/panting and taking huge, relieved breaths before both Tifa and Yuffie pull their Curaga materia out and casted the Curaga magic on themselves and on the others to healed their wounds).

"What the hell… is happening to her now?" said Selwyn in a weak/pained tone of voice to Cloud, Angelina, Phemie and the others when he (and the others) saw Jenova-Laina suddenly ceased using her telekinesis power to hurt then killed them and she started to shake involuntarily.

"It must be… my sister, Selwyn." said Phemie in a weak yet relieved tone of voice to Selwyn. "She must be fighting against… Jenova to regained her body."

"Angie, Kunsel… now's our chance! Let's grab hold of her… and pinned her down now!" Cloud told both Angelina and Kunsel in a slightly firm tone of voice and they glance and slowly nodded their heads to him before all 3 of them stood up from the floor, swiftly make their way toward Jenova-Laina, grabbed hold of her shaking arms, body and white wing and pinned her down on the floor. Jenova-Laina immediately snarled at Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel for grabbing and pinning her down.

"Sorry, Jenova." said Angelina as she glared down at Jenova-Laina. "But we're not going to let you go until Laina defeat you then regain her body back from your control."

Jenova-Laina glared back at Angelina as she, Cloud and Kunsel watched and waited in silence for Laina to return to them (while not letting go of Jenova-Laina as she began struggling against their firm hold on her).

XXXX

Jenova snarled in anger, annoyance and frustration when she saw both Laina and Yakumo continue to dodged away from the sharp tentacles and the strong Flare magic attack that she thrust and casted on them to impaled and hurt them both while they fought back and injured her after she uses her attacks on them.

" _Why won't you two just give up and die already!?"_ said Jenova in an annoyed tone of voice to both Laina and Yakumo.

"We'll never give up, Jenova! So save your breath!" Laina retorted back to Jenova while Yakumo dodged away from yet another tentacle attack from Jenova before she stood up and uses her mako energy twice on Jenova to cut off her sharp tentacles and to struck hard against her body, which caused her to cried out in anger and pain before she fell to her knees on the floor.

"Now's your chance, Laina! Finish her off, quick!" Yakumo told Laina.

"Right, Yakumo!" replied Laina before she rushed toward Jenova, hold out one of the metallic pole (which she picked up from the floor near one of the broken prison cell) and stabbed through Jenova's chest and heart with it.

Jenova gasped loudly in pain at Laina stabbing through her chest and heart before she slowly lifted her head to glared up at Laina and Yakumo (who approach and stop in her tracks beside Laina to glance down at Jenova). " _How can this be? How could I lose to the two of you?"_

"That's probably because you underestimated us, Jenova." said Yakumo. "And that is the reason why both Laina and I were able to defeat you. I'm sure the same goes for her younger sister Phemie, Cloud, Angelina and the others as they try to fight against her body which is still under your control."

"Yakumo's right, Jenova. So release my body from your control and give my body back to me now." said Laina as she glared at Jenova.

" _Fine then, I'll release your body from my control and hand it back to you, Laina Donovan._ " said Jenova in an annoyed tone of voice to Laina (who nodded to her) before she let out another gasp of pain, closed her eyes and Laina let go of the metallic pole on Jenova's chest and both she and Yakumo watched as she fell dead to the floor and disappear into thin air.

Both Laina and Yakumo sighed in deep relieved that they managed to defeat Jenova before Laina turned to glance at Yakumo. "Yakumo, once again, you came to my aid and I'm really glad and thankful for your help." said Laina in a happy, relief and grateful tone of voice to Yakumo.

"You're welcome, Laina. After all, what are friends for?" said Yakumo as she smiled at Laina (who also smiled back at her). "Now go on, Laina. Take back your body and return to your sister and your friends/companions."

"Right, Yakumo. Farewell and thanks for your help." said Laina.

"Farewell, Laina. Until we meet again next time." replied Yakumo before they disappear away from the large and empty prison room around them.

XXXX

"What's wrong with Laina now, Cloud, Kunsel!?" said Angelina in a very worry/fearful tone of voice to them when she, Cloud and Kunsel (and also Phemie, Crisis and the others) saw Jenova-Laina suddenly ceased her struggling and began very still and silent (while they also saw that the skin on her hands and face slowly change from bluish-grey back to normal human skin and the white wing on her back folded itself inward and retreat back into her body).

"We don't know, Angie. Could be that she has finally managed to defeat Jenova and is returning to us or…" Cloud told Angelina before he trailed off into silence.

"Let's just wait and see if she'll come back to us or not at all, Cloud, Angelina." said Kunsel grimly.

"Don't you say that, Kunsel! Of course she'll come back to us! I know that she can and she will!" Phemie retorted at Kunsel.

As Kunsel was about to say something to Phemie, they suddenly heard and saw Laina let out a loud gasp before she slowly opened her eyes and glance weakly up at them and they saw that her eyes is no longer bluish-green in colour but is their normal mako blue colour.

"Laina!" said Cloud, Angelina and Kunsel in surprised and relieved tone of voices at her.

"Sister? Is it…. really you?" said Phemie hesitatingly at Laina, wanted to be sure about whether it's really her sister or Jenova first.

"Hey there… Phemie, Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel… and everyone else. It's really me… I'm back." said Laina weakly to all of them before she slowly get up into a sitting position on the floor.

Phemie immediately burst into tears, launch herself and wrapped her arms around Laina in a tight hug (which caused her to groaned loudly in pain while Cloud, Angelina, Kunsel and the others smiled widely in joy and relief except for Vincent (who only had a small smile on his face before he turned to glance down at Hojo's dead body) and Crisis (who's busy in trying to deactivate all of the mako reactors on the large mainframe control and succeeded in deactivating all of them).

A few seconds later, Cloud, Angelina, Laina (who's being lifted and carry in a bridal-style manner by Kunsel since her body is still very weak and sore from Jenova's control) and the rest of their friends/companions turned around, walked down the stairs away from Hojo's body, the mainframe and the huge Sister Ray cannon.


	82. Chapter 82

**Chapter 82: Confessions and pleasures**

 **The next morning, inside the main control room in the Highwind airship…**

"Shinra company's… finished." said Cait Sith to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions (who had tired looks on their faces) before he let out a tired, sad sigh.

Cloud immediately walked forward and stopped in his tracks in between Angelina, Tifa and Barret to look silently out the front window for a few seconds before he began speaking out loud to himself and to the others. "Meteor's gonna fall in about…" said Cloud before he trailed off, thinking about when Meteor is going to fall.

"Seven more days, less than seven days." Red XIII answered Cloud's question (which caused both Cloud and Angelina to turned around and glance at Red XIII) before he lowered his head to look down at the floor and shake his head. "That's what my Grandfather told me."

Cloud crossed his arms and continue to look closely at Red XIII (who still haven't look up from the floor) while Angelina slowly approach and stop in front of Red XIII.

"Red XIII… Do you want to leave and see everyone in Cosmo Canyon again?" Angelina asked Red XIII.

Red XIII slowly raised his head to glance up at Angelina then he turned around to look away from her. "… Yes, I do, Angelina." Red XIII answered her question quietly.

"If you wanted to go and see the peoples who means a lot to you in Cosmo Canyon then you should leave and see them, Red XIII." said Angelina to Red XIII, who slowly nodded his head in agreement without looking back at her.

"And what about you, Barret? You want to see Marlene, right?" Cloud asked Barret after he turned to glance at him.

"Don't ask me that, you spiky-headed jerk." Barret turned to glance and snapped half-heartedly at Cloud (which caused Angelina to glance and scowled at Barret).

Cloud slowly nodded his head to Barret before he turned to glance at Laina (who's standing with Phemie, Crisis and Kunsel). "And you, Laina? Is there anyone that you wanted to see like both Red XIII and Barret here?" Cloud asked Laina.

"Yeah, I guess I do, Cloud." replied Laina as memories of Zack's parents, Elmyra (Aeris's second mother), Wren and Genesis went through her mind.

Cloud nodded to Laina before he turned his attention to the rest of his friends/companions standing in various corners of the airship's main control room. "Everyone, we'll defeat Sephiroth…" said Cloud in a serious tone of voice to them. "Then, if we don't release the power of "Holy" for the next seven days… there won't be a planet left for us to protect. But if we can't defeat Sephiroth…. It's as good as death for all of us. We'll just leave a few days earlier than the rest of the human beings who'll die from Meteor."

"Don't be thinkin' you're gonna lose before ya even start fightin'!" Barret growled at Cloud while raising and shaking his arms a little.

"No! That's not what I meant, Barret!" said Cloud sharply at Barret while he shake his head fiercely in denial at him.

"Then what do you actually mean by that, Cloud?" Tifa asked Cloud as she turned to glance at him.

Cloud didn't answer Tifa's question and he slowly turned around to look out the front window for the second time. "What I meant was…" Cloud began saying/telling them before he turned around to glance back at them. "What are we all fighting for? That's what I wanted all of us to understand right now. Save the Planet… for the future of the planet and everyone and everything who live on it… Sure, that's all fine. But honestly, is that really how it is?" Cloud trailed off to raised and shrugged his shoulders a little before he resumed saying/telling them. "For me, Angie, Tifa and Laina, this is a personal feud. The 4 of us wanted nothing more than to defeat Sephiroth and settle our scores and pasts. Saving the Planet just so happens to be part of that."

"You know what, Cloud? You're right." said Angelina to Cloud as she nodded her head in agreement to him. "What you just told all of us got me to think deeply about it. All of us are fighting hard for ourselves, isn't it, Cloud? And not just for ourselves… but also for someone… something… whatever it is, that's important to all of us. That's what we're fighting for and that's why we keep up this battle for the sake of the Planet. Right, Cloud?"

"Yes, exactly, Angie." said Cloud as he smiled at Angelina, who blushed a little in embarrassment and lowered her head to look down on the floor (which caused Tifa and Laina to chuckled a little at Angelina's shy attitude).

Barret raised his hand to scratched the back of his head a little after he heard Cloud and Angelina's speech with a silent, serious look on his face before he began speaking to them. "The both of you are right… It sounds cool sayin' it's to save the Planet. But I was the one who gave the order to you, Angelina, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie to blew up and destroy that Mako Reactor… Lookin' and thinkin' back on it now, I can see that wasn't the right way to do things. I made a lot of friends and innocent bystanders/civilians suffer and died… At first, it was revenge against Shinra company. For attackin' my hometown and killin' everyone who lived in it. But now… Yeah. I'm fightin' for Marlene. For Marlene… For Marlene's future… Yeah, I guess I want to save the Planet for Marlene's sake…"

Cloud turned to glance and nodded his head at Barret. "Then you should go and see her, Barret. Make sure that you're right, and come back here." Cloud told Barret (who nodded back to him) before he turned to glance at the others. "Same goes for all of you. Go, get off this airship and find out your reasons for yourselves. I want all of you to make sure. Then I want all of you to come back." Cloud told them all.

"Of course we will, Cloud." said Laina as she nodded to Cloud.

"Maybe ain't none of us'llcome back." said Cid to Cloud as he raised and lowered his arms a little. "Meteor's gonna fell and killed us all anyway. Let's just forget any useless struggling!"

"Cid!" said Angelina as she scowled at Cid for saying such blunt words out.

"Maybe you're right, Cid. But even so, I'm going to keep on fighting." said Cloud as he glance at Cid. "I'm fighting to save the Planet, and that's that. But other than that, there's something personal too… A very personal memory that I have." Cloud trailed off to glance away from Cid and glance at the others. "What about all of you? I want all of you to go and find that personal thing within yourselves. If some of you can't find it, then that's okay too. None of you can fight without a reason, right? So I won't hold it against you if you don't come back."

After Cloud's done talking to all of them, Cid then told his 3 pilots to take him, Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions back to each of their homes and to see the peoples who meant a lot to each of them (which the 3 pilots nodded silently before they flew the airship off to each of their homes). The airship dropped Barret, Laina, Phemie and Crisis in the middle of the fountain plaza/loveless avenue inside Sector 8 before the 4 of them split up to see Marlene, Mrs Gainsborough, Wren and the Turks first before the airship flew away from Midgar to dropped Red XIII near Cosmo Canyon, dropped Vincent outside the now empty and silent town of Nibelheim, dropped Kunsel near Fort Condor, dropped Yuffie near Wutai, dropped Selwyn near Gongaga, dropped Cid near Rocket Town before the airship flew away from Rocket Town and flew toward and landed on the grassy/rocky field outside the town of Kalm, which is the rendezvous point/meeting place for some who decided to come back. After the airship landed outside of Kalm, Cid's three pilots turned off the airship's engine and left the airship together, leaving Cloud, Angelina and Tifa standing and staring silently at each other on the main control room of the airship (while CaitSith had already deactivated himself before he slumped against the wall at the very back of the main control room).

"What are the 2 of you going to do now, Angie, Tifa?" Cloud asked both Angelina and Tifa.

"I don't know, Cloud. I'm still feeling quite tired from the duo battles we had yesterday against Hojo and Laina so I'll be going to take a nap now. Good night, Cloud, Angie." said Tifa in a slightly tired tone of voice to both Cloud and Angelina before she walked past them and walked out of the main control room.

"Have you forgotten, Cloud? You, me and Tifa, the 3 of us are… all alone." said Angelina sadly to Cloud (who turned to look away from her and feel a little angry at himself for saying it out) after Tifa walked out of the main control room.

XXXX

 **Several hours later…**

"Just look at the sun setting down in the distance reddish-orange coloured sky, Cloud? Isn't it beautiful?" Angelina told Cloud (who nodded as he stand nearby her) as she watched the sunset while the both of them stands near the metal railings on the outer deck of the airship. "Cloud, do you think that the rest of our friends/companions are watching the same sunset that we're watching now, knowing that it might be the last sunset that we'll see before we head to the Northern Crater tomorrow to finally faced Sephiroth?" Angelina asked Cloud.

"Most probably, Angie." replied Cloud.

"Everybody's gone now… to see the peoples that they cared about and also to find their reasons to fight because that's what you wanted and told/convinced them to do, Cloud." said Angelina before she turned around to glance at Cloud. "Except for you, me and Tifa. The 3 of us have lose our parents, our friends and our original hometown of Nibelheim because of Sephiroth."

"Yeah, you're right, Angie." said Cloud as he nodded his head to Angelina before he raised his head to glance up at the slowly darkening sky. "The 3 of us don't have anywhere or anyone to go home to, unlike the others who have left the airship hours ago."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Cloud." said Angelina as she raised her right hand to tucked a lock of her long brown hair back behind her ear. "But… I'm sure and hope that someday… they'll come back here, don't you think?"

"Hmmm… I wonder…? Maybe it's true for Laina, Phemie, Crisis and Kunsel but…" Cloud began saying to Angelina as he raised and crossed his arms over his chest. "Like what you just said and what I told/convinced them to do hours ago, everyone else has an irreplaceable someone or something that they're holding closely on to… But this time, our opponent is…" Cloud trailed off and fell silent.

"Sephiroth. I know, Cloud. But even if not all of our friends/companions come back here, it's fine." said Angelina with a small nod of her head before she glance up at Cloud, who also lowered his head to glance down at her. "And Cloud, there's something that I wanted to tell you for quite a long time before our battle against Sephiroth tomorrow, something important."

"Oh? What is this "something important" that you wanted to tell me about, Angie?" Cloud asked Angelina (who immediately lowered her head to look down at the floor so that he wouldn't see that her face is starting to turned red).

"Cloud, I… I've fallen for you for quite some time during the later part of our journey together with our friends/companions." Angelina admitted to Cloud, who widened his eyes in surprise/shock when he heard what she just told/admit to him.

"Y-You do, Angie? When and how long?" Cloud asked Angelina.

"I started falling for you after both Tifa and Laina helped in restoring our fractured memories inside the Lifestream after it gushes out from the ground and destroyed Mideel village. When you told me and Tifa that the reason you wanted to be strong was so that you can get me and Tifa to noticed you." Angelina told Cloud.

"Oh yeah, that's right. I remember now. Back then I was so mad and blame myself for not saving and pulling you and Tifa away from the old bridge which connects between those 2 mountains behind Nibelheim in time and it broke in half and send us falling straight to the ground." said Cloud as he recalled back one of the unpleasant memory event they went through inside the Lifestream back in Mideel village days ago. "That's when you started to fall for me, huh, Angie?" Cloud asked Angelina.

"Yeah, Cloud. I do." replied Angelina. "And you don't have to be mad and blame yourself too much for what happened to us on the Nibelheim mountains years ago. I've already forgave you for it and so does Tifa."

"Yeah, I know and feel a little glad that you and Tifa have already forgave me for what happened, Angie." said Cloud as he smiled at Angelina before he raised and hold out his arms around Angelina and pull her in for a hug.

"C-Cloud?" said Angelina with a surprise/blushing look on her face when she saw that Cloud is hugging her.

"Angie, I… I feel the same way about you too." Cloud admitted slightly nervously to Angelina. "When you decided to leave Nibelheim and followed me to Midgar and we became infantrymen instead of soldiers in Shinra company, the feelings of friendship that I had for you slowly evolved into… something deeper as we spend time patrolling/guarding Shinra company, the upper levels/sectors of Midgar and sent off for missions to other towns/villages together over the years. And during all those years in the past, there were many times that I wanted to tell you about my feelings for you, Angie but I was so nervous and afraid that you would reject my feelings so I stay silent and didn't say anything to you. But now it's different, because I'm very happy and glad to know that you have fallen for me as much as I've fallen for you, Angie."

"Oh, Cloud, you're such a silly guy for thinking such silly and untrue things about me. Of course I won't reject the feelings you had for me all those passing years but I'm feeling quite annoyed that you didn't tell your feelings to me earlier." said Angelina in an annoyed tone of voice at Cloud before she pull herself away from him and glance at him.

"Yeah, I know, Angie. And I'm really sorry for…" said Cloud in an apologetic tone of voice to Angelina before he suddenly got cut off when Angelina closed her eyes, raised and leaned her face close toward his and kissed him. Cloud widened his eyes in surprise at Angelina's boldness before he closed his eyes and kissed her back.

A few seconds later, both Cloud and Angelina pull away from each other before Cloud lowered and pressed his forehead against Angelina's forehead. "Angie, I know that we just confess our feelings to each other but still I had to ask you this question." said Cloud.

"Sure, ask away, Cloud." said Angelina.

"Are you sure about this, Angie? Because if we get serious and do this, we won't be childhood friends anymore." Cloud told Angelina.

"Yes, I'm sure, Cloud." replied Angelina without hesitation to Cloud.

"Alright then, Angie." said Cloud as he smiled at Angelina before he suddenly lifted Angelina up in a bridal style manner in his arms (which make her gasped in surprise) before he carry her through the door away from the outer deck of the airship, went down the stairs, straight into the empty meeting room before he proceed to make out with her.

XXXX

 **Meanwhile, on a field inside the ruins of Banora…**

"I had a feeling that you would come to this place, Laina. And my feeling is right." said Kunsel when he saw Laina standing on the fieldnear the bottom of the large Banora White tree in silence before he make his way toward her, stopped beside her and he soon saw the almost faint, red handprint mark on her face. "Who did this to you, Laina?" Kunsel asked Laina worriedly.

"… You mean this red handprint mark on my face, Kunsel?" said Laina to Kunsel as she raised and placed her fingers on the red handprint mark on her face and winced a little when she touched it. "Zack's mother did this to me… long after I see Mrs Gainsborough, Wren and convinced Phemie to stay with Crisis in Midgar, decided to go to Gongaga by myself to finally see and told Zack's parents about what happened to him, to me and to both Cloud and Angelina 2 years ago. After I'm done in telling Zack's parents about his tragic death, Zack's mother was very upset and cried for a while before she got mad, slapped and blamed me for Zack's death beforeZack's father began to comfort her and told me to leave the house and I did." Laina told Kunsel sadly.

"What? Of course you're not to be blamed for what happened to Zack on the cliff outside Midgar 2 years ago! How could she do that to you!" said Kunsel in an outraged tone of voice.

"She had every right to do that to me because I'm afraid and it's my fault that I haven't went to Gongaga to see and told them about what happened to him for 2 long years, Kunsel!I was there with him on the cliff outside Midgar 2 years ago and I could have saved him but I didn't because I didn't expect him to put me to sleep with a Sleep materia, carry and put me with Cloud and Angelina together behind a large rock before he went out to fight against those goddamn army of infantrymen and their helicopter all by himself and died there!"Laina snapped at Kunsel before she trailed off, turned away from Kunsel then lowered her face to look down at the ground and began crying in sadness and agony.

Kunsel let out a sad sigh when he saw Laina started crying in sadness and agony in front of him before he raised and placed his hand on her shoulder and firmly turned her around to make her faced him. "Listen to me, Laina. What happened to Zack on the cliff outside Midgar 2 years ago was tragic but it still wasn't your fault. The reason he put you to sleep then put you together with Cloud and Angelina before he went out to challenge and fight the army of infantrymen and their helicopters all by himselfwas to protect all 3 of you, especially you, Laina, because you're the woman he loved plus you're also his wife. Isn't that what you told me many days ago back in Kalm?" said Kunsel.

"Yeah, I remember, Kunsel. But still, if only that I knew about what he's going to do earlier, I could have…" Laina began saying before she trailed off to take a breath while wiping her tears away from her face with the back of her left hand. "… I really missed Zack a lot, Kunsel. And not just him, I also missed Aeris, Angeal and Genesis too. What I wouldn't give just to see them and hear their voices once again…"

"I know you do, but you still have us, Laina. You still have Phemie, your younger sister, her boyfriend Crisis, me, Cloud, Angelina and the others." said Kunsel before he hold out his arms around Laina to pull her in for a consoling hug. "For now and for today, Laina, let out all of your sadness, anguish and agony in this place. So that tomorrow it won't rise up and get in your way when we head to the Northern Crater to faced and fight against Sephiroth together with the others."

"… You're right, Kunsel, and thanks for being such a good friend to me." said Laina in a slightly happy tone of voice to Kunsel before she started crying in sadness and agony for the second time on Kunsel's shirt (while he let her cried on his shirt in silence).

XXXX

 **Several more hours later…**

The next morning, Cloud opened his eyes, woke up from his slumber on the large table in the empty meeting room, sat up then stretched his arms a little before he turned to his right to glance down at his childhood friend turned girlfriend, Angelina (who's sleeping next to him with a slightly happy/peaceful look on her face and with her long brown hair partially covering her face and right shoulder in a rumpled mess) with a small smile on his face before he raised and placed his hand on her shoulder to gently shake her awake.

"Hey, morning, Angie… it's time to wake up now…" said Cloud quietly to Angelina, who began to stirred and moaned a little before she slowly opened her eyes, woke up from her slumber and glance up at him.

"Hey, Cloud… Is it morning already…?" asked Angelina sleepily at Cloud before she let out a small yawn.

"Not exactly, Angie… Right now it's half an hour before dawn, actually." replied Cloud.

"Oh, I see… Good morning, Cloud…" said Angelina as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her left hand. "Will you just give me a little longer, Cloud?..." said Angelina to Cloud before she closed her eyes and snuggled closer to him. "Just a little longer… Cloud. Because I don't know if I… will have this short and sweet moment with you ever again."

Cloud continue to glance down at Angelina in silence before he slowly lie down next to her then pull her closer toward him. "… I guess you're right, Angie… I'll enjoy this short and sweet moment with you just for a little longer then…" Cloud told Angelina (who smiled a little when she heard what he just said to her).

"Thanks, Cloud… I love you…" said Angelina in a slightly sleepy tone of voice.

"I love you too… Angie…" said Cloud before he kissed her forehead then closed his eyes.

XXXX

 **Another hour later…**

Both Cloud and Angelina sat together on a large rock on a small grassy hill with Tifa standing not far from the both of them as she look around them for any signs of their friends/companions (after they woke up, cleaned themselves up, had their breakfast in Kalm together and after both Cloud and Angelina told Tifa that they're a couple now, which surprised her before she smiled and congratulate them both). Cloud, Angelina and Tifa waited and look out for the rest of their friends/companions until afternoon came and both Cloud and Angelina decided to stop waiting for the rest of their friends/companions and they stood up from the large rock they're sitting on and turned to glance at Tifa.

"Tifa, it's time." said Angelina to Tifa.

"We'd better go now, Tifa." said Cloud to Tifa as well.

"Now!? But, the others aren't here yet, Cloud, Angie!" said Tifa in a shocked tone of voice as she quickly turned around to glance at them both.

"It'll be all right, Tifa." said Angelina in a reassuring tone of voice to Tifa. "Even if the others decided to not come back here, at least the 3 of us are not going to the Northern Crater alone, isn't it?"

Tifa heard what Angelina just told her, lowered her head to glance down at the ground with a sad look on her face before she wipe the sad look away, lifted her head to glance and smiled at both Cloud and Angelina. "Yeah… I guess you're right, Angie." said Tifa.

"Okay! Let's head into the airship now, Angie, Tifa!" said Cloud to both Angelina and Tifa before he reached out to hold Angelina's right hand in his (which make her face blushed a little) and he bring her with him toward the airship, with Tifa following close behind them both (while she smiled at seeing their hands clasped together).

Cloud, Angelina and Tifa climbed up the ladder toward the outer deck of the airship, got onto it then they opened and went through the door, went down two staircases before they reached and began to walk across the metal walkway leading toward another stairs that will lead them to the main control room.

"This airship is just too big for the 3 of us, Cloud, Angie." said Tifa suddenly and sadly to both Cloud and Angelina (who immediately stopped in their tracks and turned around to glance at her) before she stopped in her tracks to take a look at the interior of the airship around her and her 2 childhood friends. "Yeah, it's a little lonely without everyone."

"Don't worry about it, Tifa. It'll be okay." said Cloud in a reassuring tone of voice to Tifa before he started to do a few squatting exercise in front of her and Angelina (who widened their eyes in surprise when they saw Cloud suddenly doing squatting exercise in front of them before they started chuckling at him for doing it). "I'll make a big enough ruckus for everyone. Besides, I'm the pilot now." Cloud added to both Angelina and Tifa after he's done squatting. "No more flying around the planet casually like before. We won't have time to feel lonely, Angie, Tifa."

"You're right, Cloud. And thanks for cheering me up with your squats." said Tifa as both she and Angelina smiled gratefully at Cloud. After Tifa thanked Cloud, all 3 of them suddenly heard the loud sound of the airship engines roaring, humming to life and felt the walkway under their feets began to vibrate slightly vigorously.

"Huh!?" said Tifa as she raised her head to look around her in confusion.

"The airship is powering up…" said Cloud to both Angelina and Tifa.

"That means…" said Angelina as she glance at both Cloud and Tifa, who also glance at her (while the same thoughts went crossed their minds) before all 3 of them quickly turned and run across the walkway and up the stairs into the main control room.

After Cloud, Angelina and Tifa burst into the main control room, all 3 of them immediately smiled in joy and relief when they saw both Barret and Cid standing near 1 of the controls of the airship, with Cid working on starting up the airship.

"Barret! Cid!" said Cloud as he, Angelina and Tifa make their way toward both Barret and Cid and stopped in their tracks behind them both.

"The 2 of you came back!" said Tifa in joy and relief to both Barret and Cid while Angelina continue to smiled at them.

"O, Oh… Hey, you three." said Barret as he turned around to glance at Cloud, Angelina and Tifa before he raised his left hand to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. "Is that okay with you?" Barret asked Cloud, who answered his question with a nod of his head.

Cloud, Angelina and Tifa then heard a familiar female voice and a gruff sound calling and barking out to them and as they turned to see who is it, they smiled in joy and relief for the second time when they saw Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel, Selwyn and Red XIII sitting/standing together in the bottom right corner of the main control room. Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel, Selwyn and Red XIII smiled back at them before both Laina and Red XIII make their way up the short stairs away from the others toward Cloud, Angelina and Tifaand they stopped in their tracks in front of them.

"We're so glad to see that you, your sister and some of our friends/companions came back here, Laina." said Angelina as she smiled at Laina.

"Of course we came back here, Angelina. Didn't I said so to you and Cloud yesterday?" said Laina, smiling back at Angelina.

"All of you could have told the 3 of us that you guys came back into the airship earlier! So why didn't any of you do so!" demanded Tifa accusingly to them before she lowered and shake her head in disbelief.

Barret immediately shuffled in uncomfortable silence and lowered his head to look down on the floor, unable to bring himself to meet Tifa's gaze while Laina let out a small sigh at Barret's attitude and Red XIII slowly shook his head at Barret before he turned to glance at Cid (while Cloud, Angelina and Tifa watched each of their reactions/attitudes with confusions on their faces).

"But, you know, Cid," Red XIII began saying to Cid.

"Hey, Red XIII." said Cid, cutting off Red XIII's words before he turned around to glance at Red XIII. "If you butt in now, you never know what they'll say or do later…"

Cloud, Angelina and Tifa continue to glance at them in confusion before both Angelina and Tifa finally understood and realized what Cid had been talking about.

"… Have all of you been watching and listening to us?" Angelina asked Barret, Red XIII, Cid and Laina as both of hers and Tifa's faces started to turned red with embarrassment before they quickly turned and ran away from them toward the front of the main control room and stopped in their tracks there, their backs to them (which caused Cid to chuckled at their shy attitudes before Laina smacked the back of his head with her left hand to get him to stop chuckling at them before she approach both Angelina and Tifa standing in front of the main control room, ignoring the glaring look that Cid just gave her).

Cloud sighed and raised his left hand to scratch the back of his head a little before he and the others heard the door to the main control room began to opened and when Cloud and the others (except for Angelina and Tifa) turned to see who is it that just came in, they saw that it's Vincent.

"Vincent!" said Cloud as he glance at Vincent with a surprised look on his face.

"Why are you giving me such a surprise look, Cloud?" asked Vincent as he stopped in his tracks and glance at Cloud. "You don't want me to come back?"

"No, that's not it, Vincent!" said Cloud hurriedly to Vincent while shaking his head. "It's just that you're always so cold and quiet to us, so I thought and assumed that you didn't care about what was happening."

"Me? Cold and quiet? Hmmm… I guess that's just how I am, sorry." said Vincent in a slightly apologetic tone of voice to Cloud before he crouch down on the floor then jumped himself backward and over to his right and landed in his usual silent position in the bottom right corner of the main control room behind Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel and Selwyn.

After Vincent landed in his usual silent position in the bottom right corner of the main control room, Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others then heard the sound of static coming from Cait Sith (who's standing in the bottom left corner of the room) and as they turned to glance at him, they saw that both he and the Mog machine he's controlling and standing on is making their way toward them.

"Well, lookey-here. The Shinra manager's came back too. Only without his 2 Shinra assistants this time." said Barret sarcastically to Cait Sith (who ignored his sarcastic words) after Cait Sith stopped in his tracks in front of Cloud.

"Uh, excuse me, but…" Cait Sith began saying in a hesitant tone of voice to Cloud as he lowered his head to look down and drooped his ears a little. "Me, my niece and her soldier boyfriend wanted to go to the Northern Crater with you all, but we couldn't get away… so some people in Midgar took the 3 of us in."Cait Sith trailed off to raised his head and glance up at Cloud. "Look, I know that I just a stuffed animal/robotic cat and that me, my niece and her soldier boyfriend couldn't make it back and follow you all, but I'll work really hard to help you all out!"

"Of course, Cait Sith." said Angelina in a slightly grateful tone of voice to Cait Sith while Cloud nodded his head at him. Cait Sith smiled in relief at both Cloud and Angelina before both he and his Mog machine turned around and they walked back to their usual position in the bottom left corner of the room.

"I guess that's everyone." said Barret as he glance around the room at Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others before he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Not exactly, Barret. Yuffie's missing." Red XIII told Barret as he shake his head.

"You mean that little sneaky thief, Red XIII?" said Barret as he scowled at Red XIII for saying Yuffie's name. "She ain't gonna show up. Least this time she didn't steal all our materia. Guess we gotta be thankful for that."

"How could you say that about me! You muscle-bound gun-arm moron!" snapped a familiar female voice down at Barret (which surprises him and make him jumped a little) from the opened hatch hole in the ceiling above Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others before Yuffie suddenly jumped down from the opened hatch hole, landed on the floor right in the middle of all of them before she turned to glared angrily at Barret. "I came all the way from Wutai back here after being seasick as a dog on a freaking boat! Besides, I didn't go through all of that just to have you guys have the best parts all to yourselves!" said Yuffie as she turned to look away from Barret to look around at everyone else, daring them to say something to oppose her being here which they didn't.

"Welcome back, Yuffie." said Cloud as he turned to glance at Yuffie.

"We're glad to know and see that you're here with all of us before our battle against Sephiroth." said Angelina as she gave a small smile to Yuffie.

"Gee, Cloud, Angelina…" said Yuffie as she turned to glance at them with a bashful look on her face. "That's awfully nice of you two to say that to me… Are you two sick or ate something bad or something else?" Yuffie asked them both.

"No, we're perfectly fine and healthy, Yuffie." replied Angelina while Cloud scowled at Yuffie for saying such words to him and Angelina.

"Well, whatever. I'm gonna be in my reserved seat in the hall… waiting…" said Yuffie to both Cloud and Angelina before her face immediately turned pale and she quickly pushed her way past them both and run out of the main control room toward the hallway.

After Yuffie run out the main control room, Angelina, Laina, Tifa and the others watched as Cloud walked toward the front of the room, stopped and turned around to glance at all of them before he lowered his head to glance down at the floor.

"Thanks, everyone. For returning and being here with me, Angie and Tifa." said Cloud in a grateful and relief tone of voice to them.

"Not all of us come back here for your spiky-headed ass!" said Barret as he turned to glared lightly at Cloud. "I only came back here for Marlene. Guess it's jes my… whatcha call, feelings or somethin'."

"Yeah, we know what you mean, Barret." said Tifa as she glance at Barret.

"I, uh, I ain't got no words now…" said Barret before he turned to look away from all of them and he raised his hand to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

"… Even though she's no longer here with us, she at least left us a window of opportunity…" said Red XIII sadly to Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others before he trailed off and lowered his head to look down on the floor.

"Red XIII's right, Cloud, Angelina. We can't let it go like this." said Laina as she glance at both Cloud and Angelina.

"We know, Laina." said Angelina as she nodded her head at Laina before she turned to glance at Cloud.

"… Aeris." said Cloud as he closed his eyes and remember back the short and happy times when she's with all of them on their journey until her tragic death in the City of the Ancients. "She was smiling to the end. We have to do something, or that smile of hers will just freeze like that. Let's all go together. All of our memories of Aeris… Although she should've returned to the planet's Lifestream by now, something stopped her from moving on and now she's stuck…" Cloud opened his eyes and glance around at each of his friends/companions. "We've to let go of Aeris's memory."

"Because only by doing that, she'll be able to move on, right, Cloud?" asked Angelina.

"Right, Angie." replied Cloud as he reached his hand out to hold and clasped her hand closely in his.

"Has anyone here changed their minds?" asked Cid as he turned to glance at the others.

"No, we haven't changed our minds at all, Cid." replied Laina with a shake of her head, same goes for the others.

Both Cloud and Angelina nodded to all of their friends/companions before Cloud turned to glance at Cid. "I'm counting on you, Cid." said Cloud to Cid.

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" said Cid as he shrugged his shoulders at Cloud before he turned to glance back at the control panel in front of him. "There're 2 levers here that've been buggin' me for a while now… Let me try them out." Cid trailed off, took hold of the 2 levers in his hands in front of him before he turned to glance at Cloud. "All right, so what should I do now? You decide and tell me, Cloud." said Cid to Cloud.

Cloud nodded at Cid before he turned to glance at his friends/companions (who's also staring at him, waiting to hear his decision). "This is our last battle, everyone. Our target is the Northern Crater. Our final enemy is… Sephiroth! So let's move out!" Cloud told all of them in a firm/determined tone of voice and they all nodded and raised their left arms high in the air above them.

After Cloud's done talking to them, Cid pushed the 2 levers in front of him all the way to the top and Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions suddenly felt the airship jolted violently from the outside and caused all of them to almost fell forward down on the floor.

Outside the Highwind airship, the back side of the airship opened up to reveal 3 powerful-looking mako-powered jet engines hidden inside before the 3 mako-powered jet-engines move themselves out from their hiding spots of the back side of the airship before strong streams of mako energies gushes out of the jet engines and the airship immediately shot forward at great speed in the direction of the Northern Crater, where Sephiroth is.


	83. Chapter 83

**Chapter 83: Entering the Northern Crater and battle against Jenova-SYNTHESIS**

The Highwind airship arrived and came to a hovering stop above the large Northern Crater dark hole since Cid's 3 pilots (who came back to the airship and helped Cid in bringing Cloud, Angelina and the others toward the Northern Crater) were unable to find any safe spots for them outside the Northern Crater to land the airship down.

One of Cid's pilots then told Cloud, Angelina and the others to follow him to the outer deck of the airship (which they all did) and once all of them are standing on the outer deck of the airship, the pilot then threw a long and sturdy rope ladder over the left side of the airship, watched and lowered the ladder until it reached the rocky ground of the edge of the crater before he stepped away from the ladder, turned to glance at Cloud, Angelina and the others and gave them a salute. Cloud, Angelina and the others nodded their heads in thanks to the pilot before they climbed down the ladder one by one, got off the ladder and step on the rocky edge of the crater before they turned around, walked forward a little before they stopped in their tracks to glance down at the crater hole. Most of them were quite surprised when they saw an almost smooth-looking spiral path down into the dark depth of the crater plus they also saw a large glowing pool of pure, bright greenish mako energy/Lifestream at the bottom of the deep, dark crater (since they expect to see nothing more than a dark pit inside the crater hole) except for Cloud, Angelina, Laina (who felt Sephiroth's strong and sinister presence down in the crater as he waited patiently for them) and Vincent (who still had a calm and blank look on his face).

"Looks like we can only climbed down to reach the path, everyone." said Cloud as he turned to glance at Angelina, Laina and the others, who nodded to him before Cloud glance away from them then started to climbed slowly and carefully over the edge and down into the crater before Angelina, Laina and the others climbed slowly and carefully over the edge and down into the crater after and above him.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others climbed their way down the rocky wall until they reached and landed on the spiral path before they headed down the spiral path in a single file deeper into the crater. As Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others continue to walked down and jumped over the smaller gaps of the spiral path and went in and out of several cavern holes in the rocky wall of the crater (while fighting and killing off some Grey Gargoyles, Dark Dragons, Parasites, Master Tonberrys monsters and obtained some "Save Crystal" , "Guard Source" "Mind Source", "Magic Source", "Power Source", "X Potion", "Elixir", "Hero Drink", "HP Absorb Materia" treasure items) before they reached and climbed down two slender and sturdy-looking light grey-coloured rocky pillars, landed on the ground and Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others turned around and saw that the next path in front of them is split up into 2 different paths.

"The next path is split up into 2 directions, everyone." said Cloud to Angelina, Laina and the others as he glance left and right at the 2 different paths. "Looks like we'll be splitting into 2 groups."

"I don't think it's a good idea for all of us to split up at this point…" said Selwyn worriedly to Cloud.

"What other choice do we have, Selwyn?" said Laina as she scowled at Selwyn. "Unless you got a better idea than Cloud's then speak up. If you don't have any, then keep your mouth shut."

Selwyn glared at Laina for saying such words to him before he crossed his arms over his chest and turned to look away from her.

"So which path are you going to choose and which of us are you going to bring with you, Cloud?" Angelina asked Cloud.

Cloud glance at Angelina for a few seconds before he crossed his arms and closed his eyes to think deeply about which of the 2 paths he would choose and which of his friends/companions he would take with him. Another few seconds later, he finally made up his mind, opened his eyes and he told/choose Angelina, Laina, Tifa, Kunsel, Vincent and Selwyn to walked with him down the right path while Barret, Cid, Red XIII, Crisis, Phemie, Cait Sith and Yuffie will walked down the left path. Angelina, Laina and the others nodded their heads at Cloud's choice before they split up into 2 groups.

"Now don't any of you die on me…" said Cloud sternly to his own group and to Barret and his group. "Gotta get through to Sephiroth, no matter what!"

"We know that, Cloud! And looks like this is our last big job!" said Barret to Cloud before he turned and walked down the left path.

"It'll be over soon. With this…" said Vincent before he trailed off into silence, turned and walked down the right path.

"Oh man… "Materia Hunter Yuffie" sounds like the last chapter of "Materia Forever"." said Yuffie sadly to Cloud, Angelina and the others before she lowered her head and let out a heavy sad sigh then she raised her head, turned and run after Barret.

After Barret, Vincent and Yuffie left their groups, Red XIII slowly walked down the left path before he stopped in his tracks and turned around to glance and say something to Cloud, Angelina and the others. "All lives on the Planet, including the very life of the Planet itself, is in all of our hands…" Red XIII then fell silent, turned and run down the left path after both Barret and Yuffie.

"I'm so happy to have met and gone on this journey with you all, really! Same goes for my niece, Nina and her soldier boyfriend, Carter, even though they're in Midgar instead of here with us right now!" said Cait Sith happily to Cloud, Angelina and the others before he raised his right hand to rubbed some tears away from his eyes before both he and the Mog machine he's standing on turned and run after Barret, Red XIII and Yuffie.

"Crisis, watch over my sister, will you?" said Laina firmly to Crisis (who nodded to her) as she glance at him before she glance at Phemie. "Be careful, Phemie." Laina added to Phemie.

"You too, sister. Be careful." replied Phemie worriedly to Laina (who nodded to her) before Laina, Kunsel, Phemie and Crisis turned and walked down the left and right path away from Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Cid and Selwyn.

"I'll destroy that Sephiroth before you or the others can get to him first!" said Cid confidently to both Cloud and Angelina before he turned and run down the left path after Barret, Red XIII and the others.

" _You better prepare yourself, Sephiroth! Because we're coming for you now!_ " thought Selwyn fiercely and silently in his mind before he turned and run down the right path after Laina, Kunsel and the others.

"Cloud, Angie, after we fight and defeat Sephiroth with everyone, we can go back home." said Tifa to both Cloud and Angelina as they turned to glance at each other. "All of us…"

"Yeah, we will, Tifa." said Angelina as she smiled at Tifa, who also smiled back at her.

"This will be the end of it, Angie, Tifa!" said Cloud to both Angelina and Tifa, who glance and nodded in agreement to him before Tifa turned and run down the right path.

As Angelina was about to run after Tifa, she suddenly felt Cloud wrapped his right arm around her waist, turned her around and pull her close to him before he lowered his head to kiss her. Angelina gasped and widened her eyes in surprise/shock at Cloud's sudden display of bold love and affection to her before she closed her eyes and kiss him back. A few seconds later, both Cloud and Angelina pull away and smiled to each other.

"What was that for, Cloud? Are you worried that despite what you just told me and Tifa, we might not be able to win?" Angelina asked Cloud.

"I do that to you because I love you, Angie. Doesn't mean that we can't win this final battle against Sephiroth." replied Cloud as he raised his left arm to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh, Cloud. That's sweet of you." said Angelina before she leaned forward to give Cloud another short kiss (which widen the smile on his face a little more) before they turned and run down the right path after Tifa, Laina and the others.

Both groups headed further down the left and right path deeper into the crater (where they could see the inner rocky walls of the crater glowed brightly in blue, green and yellow-coloured mako energy around them), arrived before 2 vast and treacherous maze of rocky pathways, tunnels and caves deep within the crater before the two groups make their way through the vast and treacherous maze of rocky pathways, tunnels, caves, arrived and walked down 2 large serpent skeletons (and they fought/killed off some Pollensaltas, Parasites, Armored Golems, Allenmagnes, Magic Pots and Death Dealers monsters while getting some Mystile, Elixir, Speed Source, Tetra Elemental, Megalixir, Luck Source, Imperial Guard, Counter and W-magic Materia treasure items), went through 2 opened rocky doorways and the 2 groups rejoined with each others before they look around and saw that they're now standing on a rocky winding path with dozens of large rocky platforms floating in thin air at the end of the winding path leading down toward the Lifestream below them and with strong and warm showers of mako energy flowing past them down into the Lifestream as well.

"This is the center of the Planet…?" Cloud asked aloud to himself as he look down at the final and almost visible rocky platform within the Lifestream.

"From the looks of it, I guess it is, Cloud." replied Laina.

"This is it then, everyone." said Tifa with a nervous/fearful look on her face.

"Hey, Cloud. Some of us found some items when we walked down the other path. Here, you can have it." said Crisis to Cloud before he, Cid, Red XIII, Cait Sith and Yuffie handed over the "Turbo Ether, Shield Materia, Megalixir, Remedy and Vaccine" items to Cloud.

"Thanks for the items, you guys." said Angelina as she smiled at them.

"Awright, this the last dance for us!" said Barret in an excited tone of voice to them.

"Let's just hurry and get this over with!"" snapped Cid.

"Sure took all of us long enough, but we're finally here." said Selwyn as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, I agreed with you, Selwyn." said Red XIII as he nodded his head in agreement to Selwyn's words.

" _This is really it…"_ thought Phemie in worry/fear in her mind while both Laina and Crisis placed their hands on her shoulders to reassured her and she glance and nodded gratefully for their reassurance.

"Hmmm… being with you all isn't so bad." said Vincent.

"All right, everyone, let's mosey." said Cloud as he turned to glance at Angelina, Laina and the rest of his friends/companions.

"Damn! Again!" cursed Cid before he turned to glared angrily at Cloud while everyone turned to glance at Cid in surprise, except for Angelina, Laina (who scowled and glared at him) and Vincent (who stared at him blankly). "Stop sayin' it like a wimp! Can't you say "Move out!" or somethin'?"

Cloud sighed and raised his right hand to scratch the back of his head a little before he clench his right hand into a tight fist. "Alright, everyone, let's' move out!" said Cloud as fiercely and firmly as possible to placate Cid (which managed to satisfied him).

After Cloud's done telling Angelina, Laina and the others to move out and they were about to jump down onto the first floating rocky platform, they froze and raised their heads to look up at the cavern wall when they heard several loud roaring sounds of monsters coming from above them.

"What?" exclaimed Barret as he widened his eyes in surprise/shocked.

"Oh, Gaia…" said Phemie in a worry/fear tone of voice.

"Look at those huge numbers of monsters…" said Red XIII with a disbelief look on his face.

" #$%! They're coming toward us in full force!" exclaimed Cid with an angry and disgust look on his face before he and the others pull out their weapons and materia in preparation for their fight against the large, descending horde of monsters.

"Cloud, Angelina! The 2 of you go first!" Barret yelled at both Cloud and Angelina before he raised his gun-arm and fired several bullets at some of the monsters.

"Say what? You're telling the 2 of us to go down and faced Sephiroth while you guys stay here and fight those incoming horde of monsters? We refused, Barret!" said Angelina.

"Angie's right, Barret! The both of us will stay here and fight against those horde of monsters with all of you!" said Cloud as he shake his head at Barret.

"Shu'up, you two!" Barret snapped angrily at both Cloud and Angelina while he fired off several more bullets at some more of the monsters. "It won't do us no good wit' everyone back here!"

"But we…" Angelina began saying and got cut off by Cid's words.

"Barret's right, you two." said Cid to both Cloud and Angelina and they turned to glance at him with surprise looks on their faces. "The 2 of you choose and take 2 of us with you 2 and go down first. The rest of us'll catch up to you 4 later."

"Is this like a practice run before the real thing?" asked Tifa.

"Yeah, a major practice run…" replied Cait Sith as he shook his head sadly.

"Heh heh, I'm fine with that." said Yuffie as she smirked and raised both of her arms to do some air-punching. " _It's probably more fun than facing and fighting Sephiroth down there anyway."_ added Yuffie silently in her mind.

"Hmmm, this might be fun to pass the time." said Vincent as he raised his gun to fired off some bullets at some more of the monsters.

"They're descending closer toward us!" growled Red XIII before he crouched down and bared his fangs at the horde of monsters.

"Cloud, Angelina, the 2 of you hurry up and make up your minds!" Barret yelled at them both.

Both Cloud and Angelina glance worriedly at each of their friends/companions while they think about which of their 2 friends/companions that they'll choose and bring with them to faced and fight Sephiroth in their minds while letting the others stay behind to fight the horde of monsters before they glance at each other and eventually make up their minds.

"Tifa! Laina! Come with us!" Cloud called out to both Tifa and Laina, who turned and nodded to him and Angelina before they turned, approach and joined up with Cloud and Angelina, away from the others (since both Cloud and Angelina knew that both Tifa and Laina had as much personal reasons/grudges as they both do against Sephiroth). "All of you! Later!" Cloud told Barret, Cid and the others.

"Yeah, later." replied Barret without turning and looking at Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina.

"Good luck, sister. And promise me that you won't die, no matter what!" Phemie told Laina with a worry look on her face.

"I know, Phemie. I promised you that I won't die." replied Laina reassuringly to Phemie. " _And also, Zack, Aeris, Angeal, Genesis and Yakumo, I hoped that all of you will lend us your strengths for this final battle."_ added Laina silently in her mind.

" _Of course I will, Laina."_ said Yakumo's voice in Laina's mind and she smiled.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina then turned away from their friends/companions (who immediately proceed to fight against the horde of monsters that finally arrived and landed on the winding path near them) and they quickly jumped through the strong and warm showers of mako energy/Lifestream (and they instantly felt the air/atmosphere around them became quite closed, thick and pulsing with mako energy, causing all 4 of them to feel sick, light-headed but still able to breathe easily) and landed onto the first floating rocky platform before they jumped down from one platform to the next, heading further down the crater together (and they fight/killed off some huge Dragon Skeletons and Iron Giant monsters) until they arrived and landed on the final floating rocky platform (which turns out to be a platform made up of a number of pristine white-coloured floating square pillars which rose in uneven levels while clouds of mako energy/steam rose from below and enveloped the platform in an unnatural mako glow).

"Where are we now…?" Cloud asked aloud to himself and to Angelina, Tifa and Laina.

"I think we're in the core of the Planet, Cloud." replied Angelina. "But it's so…"

Before Angelina could say another word, a loud and inhuman scream of a monster suddenly filled the air around Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina and they immediately covered their ears with their hands while raising their heads to look around for the source of the inhuman scream.

"What was that!?" Tifa cried out in worry/fear to Cloud, Angelina and Laina before all 4 of them saw some huge round-shaped, grotesque-looking female monster (who had flakes of sickly-looking, petal-shaped flesh covered around her head and round body, two long and thin-looking tentacles reaching up just below her head while her face is long and stretched out into an eternal silent scream with her eyes covered in a thin, fleshy film which stared deep and unseeing into their hearts and souls and is called Jenova-SYNTHESIS) appear and rose up from the mako energy/Lifestream below the platform, swiftly approach and stopped in front of them and they gasped and widened their eyes in horror when they realised/recognized who and what the huge round-shaped female monster is.

"It's Jenova, Tifa." said Laina in an angry/grim tone of voice to Cloud, Angelina and Tifa.

"She's gonna attack! Prepared for battle!" Cloud yelled out to Angelina, Tifa and Laina and they nodded and pull out their swords, naginata and fighter gloves in preparation for their battle against Jenova-SYNTHESIS at the same time Jenova-SYNTHESIS let out another loud and inhuman scream at them before she charge forward and began attacking them.

Jenova-SYNTHESIS raised and swung her two tentacles swiftly at them and Laina quickly raised her Geneva saber to cut off Jenova-SYNTHESIS incoming tentacles before she could hit them, causing Jenova-SYNTHESIS to cried out in anger and pain at her before she pull her injured tentacles back to healed and regenerate new tentacle limbs out. After Jenova-SYNTHESIS's done in healing/regenerating her 2 tentacles, she raised her tentacles to crossed them over her head and she casted a fierce Ultima magic on Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina, who quickly dodged left and right away from the Ultima Magic attack before it could struck and injured them.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina spend the next 20 minutes fighting fiercely against Jenova-SYNTHESIS with their weapons, limit break skills and materia on the platform (while Jenova-SYNTHESIS fought fiercely back at them with her tentacles and her powerful Electrocute, Hell Blizzaga, Flare and Ultima magic attacks) until they managed to killed her off, causing her to let out a loud and final inhuman scream of pain and agony before her screaming died out and her large round-shaped body fell with a heavy thud down onto the platform. After Jenova-SYNTHESIS body fell onto the platform, her body started to rolled across and over the edge of the platform (while leaving a trail of thick and foul-looking black-coloured blood behind) before it fell and landed with a loud splash into the mako energy/Lifestream below and sank below the surface, out of Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina's sights when they walked and look over the edge of the platform.

After Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina defeat/killed off Jenova-SYNTHESIS, all 4 of them suddenly felt the platform they're standing on started to shake violently and as they turned and glance at each other with worry looks on their faces before they glance at the platform around them and saw that the platform is rapidly breaking apart around them. The giant chunks of rocks that surrounds the outer edge of platform crumbled into dust and fell down into the mako energy/Lifestream below while the dozen of square pillars which all 4 of them stood on break apart and some of the square pillars floated upward while others fell down into the mako energy/Lifestream below as well.

A white light then appear and glowed brightly around Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina (which caused them to raised and covered their eyes with their arms) at the same time they felt the last few square pillars of the platform which they're standing on fell down below their feet before they found themselves falling swiftly down with the square pillars straight toward the mako energy/Lifestream and they fell with several loud splashes into it.


	84. Chapter 84

**Chapter 84: Battle against Bizarro-Sephiroth**

After Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina fell from the shattered platform and fell straight into the mako energy/Lifestream, both Cloud and Angelina slowly opened their eyes to take a look around them and they saw that both Tifa and Laina weren't anywhere close to them (but they could still feel their presences even though they can't see them) while they slowly floating downward inside a familiar and huge space of darkness, the kind of darkness that they remembered very well from when they last fell into the Lifestream with both Tifa and Laina a few days ago back in Mideel village before the 2 of them (and Yakumo Levy) helped in restoring their shattered memories inside the Lifestream.

The next second, both Cloud and Angelina saw a circular-shaped bluish-white coloured light slowly appeared from within the darkness from below them and as they started to felt the warm and immense power that emanated out from within the light, they widened their eyes and immediately knew what the light is.

"Cloud…" Angelina began saying slowly to Cloud. "Could that… light be…?"

"Yeah… Angie… It must… be Holy." said Cloud as he slowly nodded to Angelina.

As both Cloud and Angelina continue to fell downward toward the light, a sudden flash of another different kind of light suddenly flashed out from the darkness around them and the warm circular-shaped light below them, causing the huge space of darkness around them to suddenly disappear before both Cloud and Angelina found themselves lying face-down on a large floating red-coloured rocky platform in front of the circular-shaped light mostly covered with the same kind of red-coloured rock (that both Cloud and Angelina were lying on) around it before they groaned, winced and shake their heads a little and they slowly stood up from the floating rocky platform. As they do so, they suddenly heard a series of bodies falling/thudding heavily nearby and around them.

"Owww… damn, man!" said a familiar annoyed/disgruntled deep male voice to Cloud and Angelina's right, causing them to widened their eyes in surprise before they turned to their right to glance and saw Barret lying on another floating red-coloured rocky platform just a little ways above them both (before Cloud and Angelina look away from Barret to look around them and they saw that the rest of their friends/companions were lying face-down or on their backs on various other floating red-coloured rocky platforms around them and Barret) before Barret stood up from the platform and shake his head a little.

"Barret!? Everyone!?" said Cloud and Angelina in surprised unison together.

"What… it's you two!" said Barret as he turned his head to his left to glance and saw both Cloud and Angelina standing on a floating rocky platform with a surprised look on his face before he glance away from them both to glance around and saw that the rest of their friends/companions were lying on the floating rocky platforms nearby and around the 3 of them (before all of them groaned a little then stood up from the rocky platforms they're lying on) and that all of them are now deep within the bottommost part of the Northern Crater deep within the Lifestream. "So everyone's together again, huh…?" asked Barret.

Before Cloud, Angelina and the others could answer Barret's question, a bright flash of pale green-coloured light suddenly flashed out straight toward them from within the almost imprisoned light in front of them and all of them suddenly felt an invisible telekinetic force grabbed hold of their bodies and lifted them up from the rocky platforms up into thin air, causing them to begin struggling to break themselves free from the invisible telekinetic force that grabbed hold of them to no avail. As Cloud, Angelina and the others kept on struggling, another bright flash of the pale green-coloured light flashed out toward them from within the light and caused all of them to cried out in great pain and agony when the light struck and pass through their bodies.

As Cloud, Angelina and the others gasped/panted a little from the pain/agony of their bodies after the light struck and pass through them, all of them soon saw the familiar figure of Sephiroth slowly forming/appearing from within the light in front of them.

"Oh Gaia! It's him, Cloud!" said Angelina to Cloud.

"…Sephiroth!" Cloud snarled angrily at Sephiroth.

" _And so we met once again, Sephiroth."_ thought Laina silently in her mind as she glared at Sephiroth.

Sephiroth slowly opened his bluish-green coloured eyes, raised his head and fixed his glance on Cloud and Angelina first when he heard them talking and saying his name quite loudly and angrily before a cold and malicious look appear on his face while his lips twisted into a cold, evil and callous smile. The exact same look and smile that both Cloud and Angelina had seen with Laina and Zack before back in the burning village of their Nibelheim hometown 4, 5 years ago. Sephiroth then turned his head to glance away from Cloud and Angelina and glance coldly/maliciously at Tifa, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions before a third bright flash of the pale green-coloured light flashed out from the light behind him, heading straight toward them, struck and pass through their bodies, causing them to cried out for the second time in great pain and agony while it pushed them backward away from Sephiroth.

"Ugh…! Is this… the true power of Sephiroth?" grunted Barret.

"My… My body…" said Cid as he kept on struggling against the invisible force holding him while gritting his teeth in pain and frustration. "I can't control my body… Uuuugh!?"

Sephiroth deepen the cold, evil and malicious look and smile on his face before he suddenly yanked Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions toward him, let another flash of light flashed out from the light behind him to struck and pass through their bodies, causing them to cried out for the third time in great pain/agony while they were flung backward away from him then suddenly stopped in thin air as the invisible force grabbed hold of them again.

"My front legs… my hind legs…" howled Red XIII as he struggle in thin air. "my tail's about to tear off!"

"This is definitely not good…" said Cait Sith fearfully to them. "He's way outta our league…"

"Everyone, I, I don't know if I can… go on…" gasped Yuffie in a strained/pained tone of voice to them.

"Don't you… give up… so easily, Yuffie…" gasped Kunsel as he scowled weakly/painfully at Yuffie. "We've come… this far already… So we can't… just give up…"

Sephiroth let loose another flash of light at them and they flinched and gasped loudly in pain as the light struck and pass through them.

"Why can't we… break through from… the invisible force…holding all of us!" said Vincent.

"It hurts…. sister… Crisis…" gasped Phemie weakly/painfully to Laina and Crisis. "It hurts… even more than… when you use… your telekinetic power… on us… on the mainframe… back in Midgar."

"Phemie, hold on! Just try to hold on!" yelled Crisis in fear and panic to Phemie, ignoring the great pain in his body.

"Phemie, everyone!" yelled Laina in fear and panic as she glance around at her sister and her friends/companions before she glance at Sephiroth. "Stop hurting them and spare them from further pain and agony already, Sephiroth! Please, I'm begging you!" Laina pleaded at Sephiroth.

"Never, Laina Donovan." said Sephiroth coldly/evilly at Laina before he let loose yet another flash of light at them and some of them cried out in pain/agony for the fifth time while the others abruptly passed out from the pain/agony of it.

"Cloud… Angie…" whispered Tifa almost voicelessly at Cloud and Angelina.

"Cloud… Tifa… everyone…" gasped Angelina.

"Ugh… ugh…" Cloud groaned before he (and the others who haven't passed out) flinch and gritted his teeth in pain as another flash of light struck and pass through his body before he slowly lifted his head to look over Sephiroth's shoulder at the light behind him. "…there… It's… there…" said Cloud.

"Cloud…?" said Angelina and Tifa in unison as they slowly turned their heads to glance at him.

"…Holy… Holy… is there…" said Cloud before he trailed off to take a few, deep shaky breaths then resumed talking. "The Holy is shining… Aeris's prayer is shining…!"

"Holy… Aeris…" said Angelina and Tifa in unison for the second time before they closed their eyes and think of Holy and Aeris in their minds while taking slow and deep breaths. The more they think about Holy and Aeris, the pains on their bodies started to diminish while they slowly began to feel stronger (same goes for the others).

"It's not over yet… This isn't the end for us yet!" yelled Cloud defiantly at Sephiroth as he raised his right hand behind him to grasped the handle of the Buster Sword, pull it out and held the sword out in front of him.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at them before he yanked them forward then he let loose another flash of light at them from within the light behind him. However, this time instead of them crying/yelling out in pain/agony from the light, the pains in their bodies started to healed up (while the ones who passed out from the pain slowly opened their eyes and woke up) and they struggle even more to break themselves free from the invisible force that still hold them tightly in thin air until they finally managed to break free from it before they floated forward and surrounded Sephiroth and Holy.

"Urrrrrrgh! Not only Aeris… Holy is the prayer of AVALANCHE… Of Marlene and Dyne… And everyone on the Planet!" said Barret.

"Maybe… Maybe I shouldn't have come with you all… I don't need… materia…. any…" Yuffie began saying then got cut off by Selwyn before she floated beside Barret.

"What's this, Yuffie? Are you saying/telling us that you're regretting your choice to come with us?" said Selwyn sarcastically at Yuffie before he floated and stopped near her and Barret then pull out his spear weapon.

"What did you just say to me, you jerk?" said Yuffie as she glared at Selwyn for saying such sarcastic words to her before she pull out her shuriken weapon. "No, I take back what I just said to you all, I don't regret in following all of you! And I still want all of your materia! They'll be MINE and I'm not gonna give them up!"

"Damn…!" cursed Vincent as he floated and stopped beside Selwyn before he pull his gun out from the holster. "I was frozen in time… But now I feel as though my time is finally about to begin…! Sephiroth, now it's your turn and time to sleep between the ages!"

"… No way we're gonna lose to him!" said Red XIII loudly. "I'm going to see it through to the end with all of you. For our future… And that of the Planet and every living peoples on it…" Red XIII trailed off to raised his head to glance up at the surface of the Lifestream and the darkness that hovered above the Lifestream. "I understand now, Grandpa. This is my mission! I won't let the Lifestream… or the life of the Planet itself wither away!"

"Well spoken, Red XIII! I'm sure that your grandfather, Bugenhagen will be very proud of you for saying it out!" said Kunsel in an approving tone of voice to Red XIII before he floated and stopped beside Red XIII and pull out his sword.

"Maybe we were a little late in noticing the troubles that we were getting ourselves into…" said Cait Sith in a sad/regretful tone of voice to himself as he think back about all the pains, destructions and lives that had been caused and lost due to Shinra company's greed. "But that doesn't' mean that we don't have the time to get out and atone for all of it because we still can! Even if we can't get EVERYTHING back to normal! We should at least be able to protect what's most important to us!" added Cait Sith loudly to himself and to the Mog machine he's standing on before both he and the Mog machine raised their arms in agreement together.

"Do you see it now, Sephiroth? This is how much all of us wanted to protect and saved the Planet and every living peoples on it from you, your mother and the Meteor that you've summoned forth from outer space… Something that you or your mother will never be able to understand because both of you didn't want to. _"_ said Laina sternly at Sephiroth (while both Phemie and Crisis nodded their heads in silent agreement to Laina's words).

"We're not gonna lose!" Tifa snapped at Sephiroth as she clenched her hands into tight, angry fists. "Aeris is here… Everyone is here… Cloud and Angie are here with us! There's still so many things for us to do… So we're not giving up!"

"Aeris's memories… Our memories… We came here… to tell you… of our memories… Sephiroth." said Angelina as she glared at Sephiroth.

"All of you are right about it, Angie, Tifa, everyone!" said Cloud as he nodded his head to them without looking away from the bright light of Holy behind Sephiroth. "Come Planet! Show us your answer! And Sephiroth! Let's settle everything right here, right now!"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes even more at the unwavering words, wills and determination of Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions to settle things with him, bring this to an end and saved the Planet from him, his mother and Meteor.

"If that's the fate that all of you have choose and decided on together, then so be it!" Sephiroth snapped coldly at Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions before he spread both of his arms out and they started to felt the air around them started to became quite heavy with mako energy while also noticing that the air began to ripple like water from behind Sephiroth before a stronger, brighter flash of light flashed out from within the Holy behind Sephiroth, which causes Cloud, Angelina and the others to covered their eyes from the light with their hands, flung harshly backward away from Sephiroth and had their backs crashed hard against the red rocky platforms floating/scattering throughout the bottom of the crater (which make them groaned in pain before Laina uses her "Merciful Seraph" limit break (which is a newly evolved limit break from "Pulse of Life" on them to healed their wounds) before they opened their eyes and saw that Sephiroth is gone.

"Sephiroth's gone!" said Tifa worriedly to Cloud, Angelina and the others.

"Where did he go?" said Barret as he, Selwyn, Kunsel and the others look around the place for any sign of him.

" _He's above you and the others, Laina!"_ warned Yakumo's voice worriedly inside Laina's mind and she complied to her words before she quickly raised her head to look up and let out a shocked gasp at what she saw above her and the others.

"Everyone, look up!" yelled Laina to Cloud, Angelina and the others and they quickly raised their heads to look up and they watched as Sephiroth slowly descended down between them and the mostly imprisoned Holy as a large and monstrous-looking dark grey-coloured monster form (named Bizarro-Sephiroth) with large pale-yellow coloured wings as his arms with 2 heads that had ice-cold bluish green coloured eyes on the 2 faces of his 2 heads and a large, glowing/pulsing bright yellow-coloured orb within the large hole of his waist/stomach.

"Oh Gaia…" said Phemie in a worry/fearful tone of voice to herself when she saw the large and monstrous form of Bizarro-Sephiroth.

"Don't be afraid, Phemie." said Laina in a reassuring tone of voice to Phemie to calm her down while she pull her Geneva Saber out from her back and hold the saber in her hands in front of her. "We'll be fine! We can do this!"

"Laina's right, Phemie. So don't be afraid of him." said Crisis as he gave her a small, reassuring smile and Phemie nodded and smiled back to them both before she and Crisis pull out their handgun, electric rod and twin dagger weapons.

The 2 heads of Bizarro-Sephiroth lowered their 2 faces to glance coldly down at Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions for the first few seconds before Bizarro-Sephiroth raised his large right yellow-winged arm to gather a huge Ultima magic attack in its winged palm then it launch the Ultima magic attack down toward Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions.

Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions quickly split up, run and jumped toward the other floating rocky platforms away from the rocky platform they're standing on before it got destroy and shatter into dozen of small rocky pieces by the Ultima magic attack casted and launch by Bizarro-Sephiroth. After Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions split up, run and jumped safely onto the other floating rocky platforms, they turned to glance up at Bizarro-Sephiroth and saw that he's raising both of his winged arms to gather 2 more huge Ultima magic attacks in its palms. But before Bizarro-Sephiroth could launch the 2 Ultima magic attacks at them, they saw a huge orange-coloured magic sigil suddenly appear from above Bizarro-Sephiroth and it let loose a series of strong, bright purplish-coloured lightning down on Bizarro-Sephiroth to electrocute him, causing him to hissed in pain before he dismissed the 2 Ultima magic attacks that he'd gathered in his winged palms.

"Nice one, Laina!" said Kunsel in an approving tone of voice to Laina (who nodded to Kunsel before she quickly manifest and spread her single white wing out from her back to flew safely away from 2 fierce Hell Firaga magic attacks casted by Bizarro-Sephiroth in retaliation) before he raised his sword and charge toward Sephiroth and land a series of sword slashes on Bizarro-Sephiroth.

Cloud, Angelina, Laina and the others then charge toward Bizarro-Sephiroth to dealt several series of their attacks, limit breaks and magic attacks fiercely and heavily on Bizarro-Sephiroth together with Kunsel (which doesn't amused Bizarro-Sephiroth as he had to use Curaga to healed his wounds repeatedly while also casting several series of Demi 3, Flare and Ultima magic attacks back at them) for the next few minutes until they managed to greatly injured and defeat Bizarro-Sephiroth (who groaned and coughed blood out of his mouth before he glared angrily at each of them).

"No… This isn't over yet for me!" said Bizarro-Sephiroth weakly/hoarsely to himself and to Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions before he started to flew upward away from Cloud, Angelina, their friends/companions and the imprisoned Holy before Cloud, Angelina and the others watched with surprised/shocked looks on their faces when a warm and thick-looking mako fog suddenly appear, surround and swirl rapidly above, around and below their feet for the next few minutes until the mako fog dissipated away from them and they saw that they're now standing in a completely different place.


	85. Chapter 85

**Chapter 85: Battle against Safer-Sephiroth**

The place that Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina are seeing and standing in now after the warm and thick-looking mako fog dissipated away from them reveal itself to be a kind of long and huge tunnel with dozens of white and purple-coloured clouds swirling around the 4 of them which stretches endlessly into the distance in front of them (and behind them) while they saw that they're standing on thin air instead of on the crater's ground (and they also saw that the rest of their friends/companions that stay and fought with them against the huge, bizarre and monstrous form of Sephiroth deep in the bottommost pit of the Northern Crater where Holy is imprisoned is nowhere to be seen or felt anywhere near them).

"Cloud, Angie, Laina! Where are the others? I can't see them anywhere!" asked Tifa in a worried/fearful tone of voice to the 3 of them.

"I don't know, Tifa!" replied Angelina worriedly back to Tifa.

"It must be Sephiroth's doing, Angelina, Tifa. He must have banished them off somewhere while leaving the 4 of us to dealt/fight against him alone in this place that he created." said Laina grimly to the both of them.

" _You're correct about that, Laina. All of this are his doing. Plus, this battle is going to be the hardest of all the battles that you and your friends/companions have fight and gone through on your journey. But even so, I'm sure and hope that all 4 of you can win against him in this battle."_ said Yakumo's worried voice inside Laina's mind.

" _This is going to be the hardest of all battles that we've fight and gone through on our journey, huh, Yakumo? If that's the case, we'll try and give everything we have to take him down for good this time!"_ replied Laina firmly to Yakumo's voice.

" _That's the spirit, Laina!"_ said Yakumo's voice proudly to Laina.

"Where are you, Sephiroth!? Show yourself!" Cloud called out angrily to Sephiroth while he gripped his Buster Sword tightly in his hands.

" _As you wish, Cloud."_ said Sephiroth cold and sinister tone of voice from within the clouds swirling around Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina before the clouds above them started to part open and as they raised their heads to look up, they gasped and widened their eyes in silent fear and awed when they saw Sephiroth's new form as he emerged and descended from the opening in the clouds down in front of them.

The upper body part of Sephiroth's is still human-like (and completely shirtless to reveal his pale, smooth, bare yet muscular chest) with both of his arms spread out on both sides of him. His left arm is normal with his palm wide open and facing upward while his right arm has completely transform into a kind of long, sharp and deadly-looking crimson, dark purple and black-coloured wing with sharp-looking feathers on it. His face and bluish-green coloured eyes is still as cold and malicious-looking as ever while his long silver-coloured hair is tied up into a long ponytail which swayed/trailed around behind his head and with two large glowing, golden-coloured halos floating behind his shoulders and head. As for the bottom body part of Sephiroth, six huge white and light purple-coloured wings completely replaced his legs as they slowly beat/flapped themselves left and right in thin air.

Sephiroth, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina glance at each other in silence for the next few seconds before Sephiroth begin the first attack by raising his right-winged arm above him and swung it down in front of him to let loose a series of his sharp feathers swiftly toward them. When Laina saw the feathers coming, she quickly raised her arms above her to create a shield above and around her, Cloud, Angelina and Tifa to protect herself and the others from getting pierced and hurt by Sephiroth's feathers.

After a few minutes, the series of feathers attack unleash by Sephiroth finally stops and Laina dismissed her shield away before Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina charge toward Sephiroth's together with their swords, naginata and fighter gloves that they hold and clench tightly in their hands and they proceed to swung, slash, punch and kicked hard and fiercely at Sephiroth. Sephiroth swiftly blocked each of their attacks with his right-winged arm before he casted and launch a series of Hell Firaga and Hell Blizzaga magic attack which struck, pierced and knocked Cloud, Angelina and Tifa away from him and Laina (which make them gasped and groaned in pain before they quickly casted Curaga magic on themselves).

"Cloud! Angelina! Tifa!" yelled Laina in worry/horror when she saw Sephiroth knocked the 3 of them away with his Hell Firaga and Hell Blizzaga magic attack before she turned her head to glared back at Sephiroth, proceed to swung/slash her Geneva Saber down on Sephiroth several times in fierce retaliation and she managed to cut off 2 of the huge white and purple-coloured wings of the bottom body part of Sephiroth and caused several deep bleeding slash wounds to appear on his chest and right-winged arm.

Sephiroth is completely livid at Laina for cutting off 2 of his wings and injuring him before he uses his telekinetic power to slammed and pinned Laina against an invisible wall, swiftly make his way toward her to yanked the Geneva Saber out of her hand then impaled the saber through her chest. Laina cried out in pain from Sephiroth stabbing her chest with her saber before she let out another cry of pain (and cough out quite a lot of blood from her mouth) when he impaled his right-winged arm through her chest as well.

"Laina!" yelled Cloud, Angelina and Tifa in worry, horror and fearful unison when they saw Sephiroth impaling her twice with her saber and his right-winged arm before both Cloud and Angelina stood up, charge toward Sephiroth and they swung, slash and thrust their sword and naginata angrily/fiercely at him, forcing him to move backward away from Laina (and he fought fiercely at them both) before Tifa stood up and quickly run toward and stopped in her tracks near Laina, grasped the handle of her saber and pull it out of her chest (which make Laina gasped and groaned in pain before Tifa quickly and gently grabbed hold of her, slowly lowered her down onto the invisible ground while Laina covered her bleeding stab wounds with her hands to prevent more of her blood from flowing out before the Jenova cells within her healed and closed up her wounds).

"Are you alright, Laina?" said Tifa as she glance worriedly to Laina.

"I'm alright… now, Tifa. See… my wounds have… healed and closed up." said Laina in a weak and reassuring tone of voice to Tifa before she move her hands away to show Tifa that there's no more wounds on her chest (but her black shirt and long blue coat is still heavily stained with her blood).

" _Are you sure, Laina?_ " said Yakumo's worried voice inside her mind.

" _Yes, I'm sure… Yakumo. Now… I need to helped Cloud and Angelina to take down Sephiroth._ " said Laina firmly to Yakumo's voice before she grabbed hold of her blood-stained saber that Tifa's holding in her hands, stood up from Tifa's grasp and raised her saber above her to use her "Apolcalypse" limit break on Sephiroth. As both Cloud and Angelina continue to fight and injured Sephiroth, they then saw a large orange-coloured magic sigil appeared above Sephiroth, realised that Laina is using 1 of her limit break on him and they quickly turned and dodged/moved away from Sephiroth just as dozens of purple-coloured lightning descended down on Sephiroth to electrocute him severely.

Sephiroth cried out in anger and pain from being severely electrocute by Laina's "Apolcalypse" limit break before he turned his head to glared furiously at Laina and prepared to cast Ultima magic on her. But before he could do so, Tifa charge past Laina toward him with her hands raised and clenched tightly and she proceed to punched and kicked him fiercely (and causing him to unable to cast Ultima on Laina).

As Tifa kept on punching and kicking Sephiroth (while he swung his right-winged arm several times at her to slash or knock her away but she dodged away from each of his strikes), Cloud, Angelina and Laina charge toward Sephiroth together and they helped Tifa out by swinging and slashing their swords and naginata (and also casted Hell Thundaga, Hell Blizzaga, Flare and Ultima magic attack) at Sephiroth to injured him even more.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina kept on attacking Sephiroth fiercely with their weapons, materia and limit breaks for the next few minutes until all 4 of them saw that Sephiroth's entire body suddenly went very frozen and still and they take a few steps backward away from him to see what's happening next.

The next second, Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina watched with surprise/shocked looks on their faces as dozens of bright lightning started to flashed out from the swirling clouds while they also felt a strong gust of wind started to blow strongly around them. Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina then watched as Sephiroth's frozen/still body began to glowed brightly (while dozens of light blue-coloured sparks flashing around his body) before he slowly move backward away from them and his body began to disintegrated into nothingness and absorbed into the distance white and purple-coloured clouds swirling in front of them.

After Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina watched as Sephiroth disintegrated away in front of them, the tunnel of white and purple-coloured clouds around them started to glowed very brightly and they quickly raised their arms to covered their eyes from the bright glow of light around them. A few seconds later, the bright glow of light around Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina dimmed down into darkness and when they lowered their arms and opened their eyes, they saw that they're standing at the edge of the mako pit and rejoined with the rest of their absent friends/companions once again.


	86. Chapter 86

**Chapter 86: The end of Midgar and destruction of Meteor**

"This is all we can do for the Planet, Angie, Tifa, Laina and everyone else." said Cloud in an almost numb tone of voice to Angelina, Tifa, Laina and the rest of his friends/companions before he stood up from the rocky edge of the mako pit and turned around to glance at all of them (and he saw that some of them like Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel, Barret and Vincent were standing on the edge of the mako pit like him while others like Cid, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Selwyn decided to sit down on the ground while Yuffie herself is lying on her back on the ground).

"Yeah, I guess so, Cloud." said Angelina as she slowly nodded her head in agreement to Cloud.

"Wait a damn minute! What about Holy?" said Barret suddenly to both Cloud and Angelina and they turned to glance at him. "And the Planet? What's gonna happen to the Planet now?"

"That… we don't know." said Cloud to Barret before he sighed and shrugged his shoulders at Barret. "Isn't the rest up to the Planet now?"

"Well, that's true, but still…" said Tifa as she lowered her head to look down at the ground with a worry/fearful look on her face.

"Don't you worry so much, Tifa. We've done all that we could do for the Planet." said Angelina in a reassuring tone of voice to Tifa, who raised her head to glance at Angelina and nodded to her.

"All right, everyone. It's no use for us to think about it now." said Cloud to Angelina, Tifa, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions and they turned to glance at him. "We'll leave all of our worries here. Let's leave this place and go home proudly."

Angelina, Tifa, Laina and the rest of their friends/companions glance at each other for a few seconds before they all glance at Cloud and nodded their heads in agreement to him. Barret, Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel and Vincent then turned to their right and began to walked up the rocky path away from the mako pit while Cid, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Selwyn and Yuffie who sit and lie down on the ground a few seconds ago reluctantly and wearily rise up from the ground and walked up the path behind the 5 of them, leaving Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina as the last 4 people to leave.

As Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina turned to their left and were about to followed after the others to get out of the Northern Crater, 2 familiar, sharp piercing pains suddenly shot through both Cloud and Angelina's minds, causing them to winced in pain and stopped in their tracks. Both Tifa and Laina immediately stopped in their tracks and turned around to glance at Cloud and Angelina when they realised that they stopped walking.

"What is it? Cloud, Angie?" asked Tifa.

"What's wrong, you two?" said Laina as a worry look started to appear on her face.

"… We can feel it…" said Angelina as she lowered her head to look down at the ground.

"What…" said Tifa in a confused tone of voice to Angelina's words.

" _Oh no. Don't tell me that…_ " thought Laina as a shocked/horror look appear and replaced the worry look on her face when she realised that Sephiroth is still alive somehow and is reaching out for Cloud and Angelina.

"He is still… here. Tifa, Laina." said Cloud to both Tifa and Laina as another sharp piercing pain shot through his mind and he shake his head a little.

"He's still…" said Angelina before she trailed off, closed her eyes and let out a loud cry of pain when the sharp piercing pain in her head started to grow more bigger and stronger, causing her to fell face-down onto the ground with both of her hands holding her head while her body began to writhed violently.

"Angelina!" yelled Laina in a worry/fearful tone of voice to Angelina as she quickly approach and kneel down near her and gently hold her writhing body up in her arms. "Hey! Try to hold on!"

"Cloud! Angie!" yelled Tifa in a worry/fearful tone of voice as well before she approach and kneel down near Cloud.

"He's… laughing…" groaned Cloud before he trailed off, closed his eyes and let out a loud yell of pain when the sharp piercing pain in his head started to grow more bigger and stronger and causing him to hold his head with his hands before he fell to his knees on the ground (just like Angelina did seconds ago).

Both Cloud and Angelina then felt their spirits being forcefully pull out of their writhing bodies by Sephiroth, flew upward away from their bodies and both Tifa and Laina then flew downward and plunge straight into the mako water of the Lifestream.

After both Cloud and Angelina fell into the Lifestream, they opened their eyes and saw that they're falling deeper and deeper toward the core of the Planet while dozens of images/memories of all the peoples they've met and the places they've gone to in their long journey resurface and flew swiftly past them both until a huge and silent space of darkness suddenly appeared and closed around them both then a bright, circular-shaped light appeared below them and they fell straight through the bright light and saw Sephiroth. He was standing on the center surface of the core of the Planet and staring up at both Cloud and Angelina with narrowed bluish-green coloured mako eyes and a cold/malicious smile on his face (while he's back in his human form (which is half-naked) with his long silver-coloured hair blowing gently around him and his Masamune sword clench firmly in his left hand) and they glared back at him before they slowed then floated down and landed on the center of the Planet in front of Sephiroth and all 3 of them raised their swords and naginata in front of them in preparation for their final battle.

Cloud, Angelina and Sephiroth continue to glared silently, coldly and hatefully at each other before Sephiroth swiftly charge toward both Cloud and Angelina with his Masamune sword and he proceed to used his "Octaslash" limit break on them. Both Cloud and Angelina blocked against Sephiroth's "Octaslash" limit break with their Buster sword and naginata before Angelina raised and swung her naginata down on the Masamune sword in Sephiroth's left hand, knocking it away from him (which caused Sephiroth to widened his eyes in surprise/shocked at her), giving Cloud the chance to charge toward the weaponless Sephiroth and he uses his newest "Omnislash" limit break to swung and slash several times on Sephiroth, causing him to groaned out in great pain from each of Cloud's "Omnislash" limit break strikes on him until Cloud jumped high up above Sephiroth with his sword raised above him and he swung his sword down on Sephiroth for the final strike.

Sephiroth let out another groan of pain, stagger backward away from both Cloud and Angelina as blood poured out of his fatally injured face, arms, body and legs before he widened his eyes in fear and surprise when he started to feel a kind of deep, burning feeling spreading inside and throughout his fatally injured and bleeding body. A few seconds later, several beams of bright light appear, shone out and began to enveloped Sephiroth's entire body before he dissipated away into dozens of tiny light red and white-coloured lights then vanished into thin air (while both Cloud and Angelina watched Sephiroth disappear in silence).

"Is it really over this time, Cloud? Is Sephiroth really gone?" asked Angelina as she approach Cloud.

"Yeah, Angie. He's gone for good." replied Cloud in a reassuring tone of voice to Angelina before he pull her close to him and he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

The next second, both Cloud and Angelina watched as several warm and gentle green lights appear out of the ground under their feets and swirled around them both for a few seconds before the green lights swirled up past them toward the remnants of the light red-coloured lights still floating/swirling above Cloud and Angelina's head, gathered and combined themselves with the remnants of the light red-coloured lights to formed a bright, shimmering sphere of energy before the sphere of energy burst outward to reveal the green lights swirling above them once again while the remnants of the light red-coloured lights vanished into thin air. Both Cloud and Angelina watched on as the swirling green lights flew upward away from them both and they finally realised what the swirling green lights are.

"…Lifestream?" said both Cloud and Angelina in unison together as they watched the swirling green lights of the Lifestream continue to flew upward, stopped and formed/expand into a large pillar of white/green-coloured light that shine down on both Cloud and Angelina and they gasped and widened their eyes in surprise when they saw 2 familiar hands appearing out of the light and reaching down for them both. Both Cloud and Angelina then raised their hands up to the 2 familiar hands reaching down for them and they take and clasped their hands in the 2 familiar hands.

But soon after both Cloud and Angelina did, the ground under their feets suddenly started to shake violently and in the next second, both Cloud and Angelina found themselves standing on the shaking rocky edge of the mako pit instead of the center surface of the core of the Planet where they fought and finally defeat Sephiroth (while the shaking rocky walls of the mako pit around them started to cracked apart and causing dozens of boulders to break and fell into the Lifestream) before they raised their heads to look up and saw that both of their hands were clasped firmly in Tifa's and Laina's hands. Both Tifa and Laina then pulled both Cloud and Angelina up to the shaking rocky cliff that they were kneeling on and they sat next to Tifa and Laina on the shaking rocky cliff (while the rocky mako pit that they were standing on a few seconds ago break apart and fell into the Lifestream with a loud splash).

"… I think that Angie and I are beginning to understand, Tifa, Laina." said Cloud suddenly to both Tifa and Laina while Angelina decided to stay silent.

"What?" said Tifa as she glance at Cloud then at Angelina with a confused look on her face while Laina raised an eyebrow.

"An answer from the Planet… The Promised Land…" Cloud resumed saying to both Tifa and Laina. "We think that we can meet her there… And not just her… we can meet the others too."

Both Tifa and Laina continue to glance at Cloud for another few seconds before they felt tears started to appear and glisten in their eyes and they smiled softly to him.

"Yeah, let's go meet her and the others, Cloud, Angie and Laina." whispered Tifa.

"Yeah, I'm sure that we'll meet her and the others soon enough." said Laina as she and Angelina nodded their heads in agreement to Tifa's words.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa and Laina then trailed off into silence (while the Lifestream inside the mako pit below them started to glow quite brightly) before both Cloud and Angelina take a look around them, Tifa and Laina and they didn't see the rest of their friends/companions anywhere near the 4 of them.

"Hey, Tifa, Laina. Where is everyone?" Cloud asked both Tifa and Laina.

"They're sitting on the rocky cliff opposite us, Cloud." replied Laina before she raised and pointed her finger at the rocky cliff opposite them.

Both Cloud and Angelina turned to glance over the mako pit of the Lifestream at the direction that Laina is pointing at and they saw Barret, Cid, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Phemie and Crisis were indeed sitting on the rocky cliff opposite the 4 of them and Barret, Phemie and Cait Sith were raising and waving their hands at them while Cid, Red XIII and Crisis just smiled at them.

"Heeeey!" Barret yelled at them.

"We're glad to see that you're all safe!" Tifa yelled to them as she raised and waved her right arm at them.

Barret nodded and waved back to Tifa before he (and both Phemie and Cait Sith) lowered his arm and turned to glance at Cid. "All 4 of them seem to be safe, too. But… now what're we going to do?" Barret said and asked the pilot before he lowered his head to look down at the Lifestream in the mako pit.

"Holy should be moving soon, and that means this place will…" Red XIII answered Barret's question before he trailed off into silence.

"Oh, Lady Luck don't fail us now…" said Cid as he raised his head to look up just as the crater around them started to shake violently, causing Cid to gaped in surprise and the cigarette fell from his mouth and dropped down onto the rocky floor.

Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and the others immediately raised their heads to look up when they heard and felt the crater around them started to shake violently and they soon saw with surprised/shocked looks on their faces a huge wave of crater rocks, dust and dirt fell rapidly down the crater toward them, and in the midst of the huge wave of crater rocks, dust and dirt, they could also see the Highwind airship falling down into the crater before the huge wave of crater rocks, dust, dirt and the airship crash landed and came to a stop on the path nearby Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina and the others before they quickly run toward the airship and get into it.

XXXX

Meanwhile, a bright glow of blue light started to filled the Northern Crater, causing the air and the snow around the crater to begin wavering and melting into puddles of water. The glowing blue light grew brighter and brighter until it burst out of the Northern Crater toward the crimson-coloured sky in a huge wave of bluish-white coloured energy called Holy.

As Holy burst itself out of the Northern Crater, it also caused the Highwind airship to be thrown out of the crater with it toward the sky as well. The airship continue to tumbled wildly up in the air close to Holy (which caused parts of the airship to begin breaking apart due to the immense white magic of Holy) before the airship started to fell down toward the crater hole below.

Meanwhile, inside the main control room of the airship, Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions were struggling and failing to keep themselves from sliding back and forth on the floor of the main control room of the airship (due to the immense strength of Holy bursting out of the crater outside the tumbling airship) before some of them somehow managed to grabbed hold of the railings nearby them to prevent themselves from sliding back and forth on the floor before they reached their arms out and grabbed hold of any persons sliding nearby them and pull them close to prevent them from sliding anymore.

"Shit!" cursed Cid as he struggle to reached his right arm out toward the Emergency lever that was built and positioned at ground level near the main console. He managed to grabbed hold of the lever and pull it toward him as hard as he could. After Cid pull the lever out toward him, the airship shudder then explode into a large and brief ball of yellow-coloured flames and change into a different type of airship that had 2 large, flat grey-coloured wings on both sides of it and a single, powerful jet-engine at the back of it before the airship turned and flew up toward the sky, away from the white magic of Holy that's still bursting out of the crater.

XXXX

Meanwhile, inside one of the tall houses in the village of Kalm, both Marlene and Wren were sitting silently on the chairs near a square-shaped table inside their bedroom, both of them waiting quite anxiously/worriedly for any news on Barret (Marlene's father), Laina (the woman who saved Wren's life) and the rest of their friends/companions while Aeris's mother, Elmyra was waiting in the living room downstairs.

Suddenly, both Marlene and Wren raised their heads and look at each other when they thought they heard a familiar woman's voice whispering their names softly.

"Could it be…" Wren began saying to Marlene.

"…The flower girl?" Marlene finished saying to Wren before they pushed back and got off their chairs to walked toward the closed-up window and they pushed the window open to look outside.

As soon as they both did, they quickly covered their eyes with their hands from the bright rays of red light and felt the strong gust of warm wind that shine and blow fiercely down on Kalm village before they lowered their hands, opened their eyes a little and turned their heads to look in the direction of Midgar city and gasped in shock, fear and horror at what they're seeing now.

XXXX

Meteor had already broke through the atmosphere of the Planet and is now descending down toward Midgar city, creating and causing dozens of bolts of blue-coloured lightning to flashed and rent the air and fierce red-coloured tornadoes to swirled swiftly and fiercely in each of the 8 upper sectors of Midgar city, electrocuting, destroying and ripping apart the Shinra company, the houses and shops, blowing up the mako reactors (while also sending deadly plates of sharp metals, pieces of the roofs, walls, windows and doors of the houses and shops to flew wildly around in the air) and killing off the citizens who live in each of the 8 upper sectors.

As the bolts of lightning and the fierce tornadoes continue their destruction on Midgar, a bright light suddenly flashed in the distance sky over the horizon and Holy appeared and shot toward Midgar city and Meteor. Holy rushed itself between Meteor and Midgar city and abruptly disintegrate the bolts of lightning and the fierce tornadoes from electrocuting and destroying Midgar city before Holy spread itself out above and over Midgar city and the nearby surrounding land, covering it in a large protective shield (while both Marlene and Wren had to briefly closed their eyes from the bright light of Holy).

Both Holy and Meteor spend the next few seconds exerting and pushing their immense will and power against each other until Meteor slowly began to break through the protective shield of Holy and came out of the other side of it to resumed it's descend and devastated destruction on Midgar city.

XXXX

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions watched from the outer deck of the Highwind airship in the sky above Meteor after Meteor arrived to destroy Midgar before Holy arrived to try and failed to prevent Meteor from destroying Midgar.

"Wait a damn minute! What's going to happen to Midgar?" said Barret gruffly/worriedly to Cloud, Angelina and the others after he saw Meteor break through the protective shield of Holy.

"Isn't it obvious, Barret? Midgar is about to be done for already!" said Laina as she scowled at Barret.

"No way, we can't let that happen!" said Barret as he raised and slammed his clench fist down on the metal railing of the outer deck of the airship.

"I've already ordered Nina, Carter and the Turks to evacuate everyone down to the slums or toward Kalm, the nearest village, but the way things are now…" Cait Sith told Barret before he lowered and shake his head sadly.

"It's too late for Holy." said Red XIII as he take a few steps forward and stopped in his tracks between both Cloud and Angelina to look down at both Meteor and Holy. "Meteor is approaching the Planet. Holy is having the opposite effect. Forget Midgar, we've gotta worry about the Planet now, everyone."

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions glance down at Red XIII (who's still watching both Holy and Meteor fighting against each other) while Cid turned the airship around and flew it away from Holy, Meteor and Midgar city. As Cid turned and flew the airship away, Cloud, Angelina, Barret, Cait Sith, Selwyn and Yuffie turned around to look away from Holy, Meteor and Midgar city while Tifa, Laina, Kunsel, Phemie, Crisis, Red XIII and Vincent decided to not look away from it.

"What's that!" said Tifa suddenly in a surprised tone of voice.

"Huh? What is it, Tifa? You saw something?" asked Angelina.

"Yeah, I did, Angie! Over there!" replied Tifa before she raised and pointed her hand at something in the distance outside of Midgar city and Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions turned to glance out the window at the direction which Tifa is pointing at.

At first they didn't see anything, then they saw some kind of swirling green energy burst out of the ground before the swirling green energy turned and began to make it's way toward Midgar. After they saw the first swirling green energy burst out of the ground and headed toward Midgar, they watched as a second swirling green energy burst out of the ground, then a third one , a fourth one and soon dozens more burst all at once out of the ground, all of them headed toward Midgar.

"What the hell are THOSE things…?" asked Barret in a surprise tone of voice to Cloud.

"… They are the Lifestream of the Planet." replied Cloud without looking away from the window.

"Dear Gaia, Cloud. I think you're right." said Angelina.

XXXX

Inside the village of Kalm (and possibly the rest of the village and cities in other parts of the Planet), all of the childrens and adults opened their doors and windows to look out at the huge spiritual event happening in front of them.

"It's coming." said Marlene.

"Yeah, it is, Marlene." said Wren as he nodded his head in agreement to Marlene.

XXXX

Cloud, Angelina and the rest of their friends/companions (and also everyone else on the Planet) continue to watched as the dozens of the swirling green energy of the Planet's Lifestream approach Midgar, Holy and Meteor before the Lifestream merged itself with Holy to become one and together the Lifestream and Holy spread up around Meteor to covered it completely before a bright light burst out of the covered Meteor into the sky and swept across the land, covering everything and everyone in it's blinding light. Cloud, Angelina and their friends/companions (and also everyone else on the Planet) quickly closed their eyes with their arms from the bright light.

But as they closed their eyes from the bright light, Cloud, Angelina and Laina had a vision of Aeris standing amongst the shadows, surrounded by tiny pinpricks of the Lifestream's light with her eyes closed and her head lowered in a prayer manner before she opened her emerald-coloured eyes to glance and smiled at them.


	87. Chapter 87

**Final chapter: 500 years later**

Under the clear blue sky filled with dozens of pure white-coloured clouds and a single bright yellow-coloured sun that shone it's warm light down on a barren rocky/dirt path nestled between 2 tall rocky cliffs on the Planet, Nanaki, two of the last of the heroes (who's now over 500 years old and who still remembered the time when he went on a long journey and fought alongside his brave and close friends/companions named Cloud, Angelina, Tifa, Laina, Phemie, Crisis, Kunsel, Aeris, Barret, Yuffie, Selwyn, Cait Sith, Nina and Carter (who's already dead and return to the Lifestream a long time ago except for Vincent, who still live on somewhere else on the Planet) against Jenova, the calamity of the sky and her son, Sephiroth) is currently running down the path before he look over his left shoulder behind him at his 2 childrens, who's running closely behind him (and who's 24 and 30 years old and started to show the signs of becoming strong warrior/defenders of the Planet, like their father and grandfather before them).

Nanaki then turned to look away from his 2 childrens to look forward at the path, saw that the path ended in front of a tall rocky cliff wall and Nanaki and his 2 childrens leaped onto the ledges jutting out of the tall rocky cliff wall until they reached and stopped in their tracks at the top edge of the cliff and they look out at the land beyond the cliff in front of them together.

The ruins of Midgar city lay just ahead, completely covered in luscious green wildlifes and several clear blue lakes that had appeared and grown over it for the past few centuries as the old city nestled within the vibrant and beautiful valley, turning the old city into a kind of nesting place for the wild Chocobos and other friendly creatures that roamed the land while the monsters dwindled away to other places, making this place into 1 of the most peaceful and beautiful places on the Planet.

 _ **FIN**_

 **A/N:** _Finally done with this version of FF 7 story/fanfic of mine and many thanks to those of you who have read, fav, follow and review it, you guys are truly the best. Also special thanks to a certain fanfic author named Tmdrago, for allowing me to use 1 of her OC character._


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